Twelve Gates II : Into the Inferno
by Blackfire Warrior of the Sky
Summary: Part Two of Twelve Gates
1. Prologue: Tasks

**Twelve Gates II : Into The Inferno**

Prologue : Tasks

_A/N : Here we are again back with our favorite Shaman Warriors trying to save the world from the forces of Hell . Lets see if our heroes can get any closer to finding the rest of the Shaman gifts and closing the Twelve Gates that had unleashed the fallen angel and demonic race of the Pit . _

_Disclaimer : I do not own any of the WWE or TNA stars . I do own Raven Fireheart , Aaron Riley , Salina Fireheart , Zacharai , the research on shamanism and demons , the story plot and any other OC characters that may appear in this story . _

**First Gate of Hell**

" There it is the First Gate into Hell . " Chris Harris said as he came to the location where he had been pulled into the Pit by Asmodai . He looked at the thing with discuss and anger .

Chris sat in the shadows of the trees and put on the Silence Boots . He stood up summoning his Fallen armor to him and making sure the other weapons and items were ready to go . The katanas on his back , his several spears and hidden blades were ready if need be . He strapped Bonefreezer to his back , the bow that had been given to him by the Ice Elder and Aaron , the arrows magically appeared when he pulled on the string . Elvenking , the elven blade was fasten to his belt . Last but not least he put the magical book he had in one of his easy access pockets and threw the Shadow Cloak over his shoulders to make him invisible to the eye of both demons and spirits .

" Time to go . " Chris said to himself as he walked down the hill to the First of the Twelve Gates . He took the magical book and open the book to the last page . It lit up for a few minutes and the Gate number and location of the Gate on Earth appeared on the page of the book . Apparently the Shadow Cloak also blocks light because none of the demons noticed the bright light .

" This will be easier knowing that none of the demons noticed the light . " Chris thought to himself .

He looked at the large gate and then back at the hill he had come from wishing there might be another way to get his task done . But , he knew he had to enter into Hell itself in order to locate the other eleven of the Twelve Gates . So , without anymore hesitation or thought he stepped through the Gate into the Pit .

**Task Location**

" Everyone hault . " Zacharai the Ice Elder of the Wolverine ' s Den told the company with him . They did as he told them .

" Why are we stopping sir ? " Bobby Roode asked .

" You ' re not , but we are . You see that path ? " Zacharai said looking at the Wolverine Shaman while pointing out the path leading deep into the Forest of the Wolverine ' s Den .

" Yes , I do . Where does it lead ? " Roode asked the others were looking curiously at the path and then Roode and Zacharai .

" It leads to a special temple that was built in honor of the first Wolverine Shaman and as a sanctuary for the wolverines that care to take refuge in the Den . Not only is your task located in that temple , but it also holds valuable insight into who you are and about your wolverine partner , Wolborg . We can not follow you to the temple for this is a task ment for you and Wolborg , you are not allowed to receive any kind of help except from what we have already given you and Wolborg ' s aid . Good luck and may the heart of the wolverine go with you young warrior . " Zacharai said .

" I understand . Wolborg you ready to complete the task in front of us partner ? " Roode asked the wolverine beside him . He growled his readiness .

" Alright , see you guys later . " Roode said turning to his fellow wrestlers .

" Don ' t worry Bobby , you can get this done . " Jeff looked at him .

" Agreed , " Jay and Adam both said .

" Thanks guys . " He said and took off down the path to whatever awaited him .

" Getting to the temple will be his first task . " Zacharai said .

Before Roode got deeper into the forest he summoned his armor to him in case something attacked him and Wolborg . He also put the Frostclimber boots on his feet instead of his normal Shaman boots and tied Icebreaker to his belt .

" Now we are ready for anything Wolborg . " Roode looked down at his animal companion . Wolborg nodded his head yes that he understood what Roode was telling him .

" Then lets continue , because those Gates are not waiting on nobody and neither are the demons or Lucifer . " Roode said as he and Wolborg walked on to the temple .

**Secluded House **

Raven Fireheart and James Storm was following Aaron Riley to the secluded house so they could get rid of the pygmy worm in Raven ' s head . Aaron was leading them deep into the woods of Wolverine ' s Den .

" The trees are thick and well aged in here . How old is this place Aaron ? " James asked .

" It has been around since the Old Ways existed and no one has study the time frame to actually know the exact dates . But , some predict it was before the first Ice Age , some even think it was here not long after biblical times . I have heard talk that the Wolverine ' s Den was once above the surface , but a giant earthquake caused it to sink into a crater and life found away to adapt down here . The Ice Age caused the ice top protecting the Den . But , no one knows for sure how the Den came to be . A lot of it is just stories and questions . " Aaron said .

" Its beautiful here and in the natural world . Its like breathing in fresh air . " Raven said .

" Because it hasn ' t been touched with the industry of the outside world . Cities are built , power plants constructed , and other industrial projects , that give off smog and chemicals , that destroys and pollutes the air outside or kills off trees and species of creatures that were once apart of the outside world . " Aaron said .

They soon aproached a house in the middle of the woods .

" Well that was placed here for our convenience . " James said .

" That is where we will be staying at . " Aaron said .

" Secluded location . " Raven said .

" S ' mores anyone ? " James asked laughing to himself , but stopped when Aaron and Raven both looked at him .

" What ? " James asked .

" Nothing , " Raven said .

" Lets go inside . " Aaron said approaching the house . The two wrestlers followed him to the front door .

" Is it locked ? " Raven asked .

" Yes , but Salina and Zacharai gave me the key . Both , will be joining us once they take Roode and the others to where his task needs to be completed . " Aaron said taking the key out and unlocking the door .

" Go in . " Aaron said to them . They walked into the house and looked around .

" What was this place ? " James asked .

" It use to be one of the training station for the warriors and army of the Den . They would come out here and go over training exercises and missions , then go out to complete whatever the assignment was . But , overgrowth has long done away with the actual field used for shooting practice and military drills . I am pretty sure most of the furniture is still here like beds and stuff , but the armory downstairs is probably gone , too . " Aaron said .

" So , we are going to have to live off of the land then while we are out here ? " Raven asked .

" Probably . " Aaron said as a knock came at the door . Aaron checked outside to see Salina , he open the door to let her come in .

" You guys got here fast . " Salina said .

" The sooner the better , Salina . " Aaron said .

" I agree , this thing has been nothing but trouble since back in the hotel room . " Raven said .

" How did you not know about the creature ? " Salina asked .

" I never felt it and its not like it just came out and said hey I ' m a pygmy worm , one of the creatures of Hell , can I take up residence in your head . " Raven looked at her .

" Pygmy worms cause pain to the victim . You haven ' t been in any pain ? " Salina asked her again .

" No , I haven ' t felt anything . I have only had the two dreams of Hell and I thought it was just a dream the first time not a creature . " Raven answered .

" Any other problems since the first dream ? " Salina asked .

" Just the low energy back in the ruins . Could that have been caused by this thing in my head ? " Raven asked . James looked at her and then back at Salina and then at Aaron trying to understand what was going on .

" Not sure , but could have been . " Salina said .

" What is with all of the questions ? " James asked concerned .

" I ' m trying to figure out how long the pygmy worm has been in Raven and what kind of damage it has done . According to the Fallen Warrior he said its just in your dream room of your brain which is good news for all of us . It means that you will have no permanent damage caused by this thing just a few dreams eaten , but dreams you can get back , unlike memory loss or nerve damage . It will also make it easier to get out of your head , but once its out we have to destroy it first thing or it could carry information back to its master and the rest of the demons . " Salina said .

" How do we destroy it ? " James asked .

" The thing hates electricity . " Aaron hinted .

" What ? " Raven asked . Storm was look at him knowing what he was thinking .

" Aaron you can ' t be serious . " James said to him .

" Storm its the only way to get rid of the creature in Raven ' s head . " Aaron said .

" What are you two . . . ? Wait a minute are you saying that we are going to use Storm ' s electrical powers to get this thing out of my head ? " Raven asked .

" Yes , I am . Its the only way Raven , it shouldn ' t take much for it to come out and then to kill the thing . " Aaron said . Raven looked down thinking it over .

" No , No , and NO ! I won ' t do that . I could kill her and I promised Wildcat that nothing would happen to her . Aaron there has to be some other way ? " James asked .

" We searched every source we have for another way and there isn ' t one . Storm , the only way for her to be rid of that creature is by electricity . I wish there was another way and that we didn ' t have to do this , but that isn ' t the case . " Aaron said .

" James , do as he asks . " Raven said .

" Raven , I - I don ' t want to hurt you . I can ' t control my electrical powers yet and if I unleash them I could kill you . Don ' t ask me to risk that . " Storm looked at her with tears in his eyes .

" Hey , hey , you won ' t hurt me . You love me to much , but I need that same kind of love with this creature in me . I need you to be willing to do this for us . This creature could hurt everyone around me include you and me both . I don ' t want that to happen , so , please help me . I can take it , I am not the weak little phoenix from back at the cabin or my house . " Raven said putting her arms around him . She rubbed the side of his face to dry his tears .

" Yes , baby , anything for you . " James said hugging her closer to him .

" We will teach you how to mellow out your electrical energy while we are waiting on Zacharai to get back from taking your comrades to the Wolverine Shaman ' s task . " Salina said .

" I ' m ready . " Storm said .

" Its not that hard to do . You just need to learn how to control your emotions . Of course not all weather is caused by you which you will also learn sooner or later to turn off your ability to manipulate the weather . But , that is not the task for today . " Aaron said .

" Training time . " Raven said .

" Exactly , " Aaron said as Raven and James both looked at each other with a grin .

" Becareful who you mess with Aaron . James isn ' t a slouch by any means . " Raven said .

" Yeah , slouch doesn ' t really define me . " Storm agreed .

" Thunderbolt is bull headed and cocky , too . " Salina said shaking her head .

" Most stallions are . " James said .

" Reason I love him so much . " Raven said getting a smile from James .

" How would you describe him Raven ? " Aaron pointed at Storm .

" Wild Stallion , Free Spirit , and Swirling Tempest . " Raven said .

" Fair enough . " Aaron said .

" Sounds like me . " James said .

" Well let me show you where you will be training . " Salina said and led them outside and to the back of the house that had been set up for Storm and Raven .

**Well looks like the stage has been set . Everyone knows the tasks before them and all three are very dangerous , more is on the way . Read and Review . Thx . **


	2. Wolverine Statue

Chapter 1 : Wolverine Statue

_Disclaimer : I do not own any of the WWE and TNA stars ._

**Forest Path**

Roode and Wolborg were now very deep into the forest of the Wolverine ' s Den . Both , were walking down the path that Zacharai had shown them .

" This forest goes on forever it seems like . " Roode looked down at the wolverine who looked up at him . Wolborg walked a little further up the path and sat down waiting on Roode .

" I ' m coming . " Bobby said walking to him and noticed that Wolborg was sitting and looking at something . It was a statue that look like a wolverine .

" Well somebody built a statue out here and you found it . Congratulations , Wolborg now what does it mean and what do we do with it ? " Roode asked . The wolverine walked over to the statue and jumped on top of it .

" What are you doing ? " Roode asked moving closer to the wolverine . Wolborg pointed at the mouth of the wolverine statue .

Roode looked at Wolborg and then the statue , noticing the mouth of the wolverine carved into the statue was wide open . He looked in and noticed a small square shape in the mouth . He thought about it and then reached for the hockey stick on his back .

" Could that really be it ? " He asked looking at the square shaped handle of his hockey stick . He stuck the end into the mouth of the wolverine and it clicked , dropping something .

" What was that ? " He asked looking at Wolborg as he felt the ground shaking .

" Earthquake , stampede , BOULDER ! " Roode said as he saw the thing coming straight at him down the hill up ahead .

" How ? Wait a minute ? " Roode pulled Icebreaker out of its belt and focused on the ice within him making it form around the blade making it diamond hard . He felt the boulder get closer to him and Wolborg .

" Now , " He said and swung the blade against the side of the boulder making it shatter into a million pieces .

" Thank you , Jesus . " Roode said falling back on his ass from the fear of getting crushed .

" Wolborg was that part of the task or were you trying to pull a funny joke ? Cause that wasn ' t funny . " Roode looked at the wolverine as another rumble came and a hole formed from up under the statue as Wolborg jump down to where Bobby was on the ground .

" What is that ? " Roode asked standing up and approaching the hole . He saw a chest in the bottom , so , he reached and pulled it out . He saw the lock on it .

" Damn , its locked . Maybe , I can freeze the lock off . " Roode said he sheathed Icebreaker and began focusing on the his ice powers again .

He put his hand to the lock and it froze solid . He then called one of his claws out and punctured the lock making it shatter like the boulder . Once he opened the chest he saw two more books inside purtaining to his Wolverine Shaman heritage , but he also saw crystals and a medallion with a wolverine on it .

" These are probably important . So , I will hold on to them . " Roode said as Wolborg growled .

Roode looked down at the wolverine to see him holding a scroll of some kind .

" Here let me see that partner . " Roode said and took it from Wolborg .

" This is a map of the temple ruins Zacharai mentioned up ahead and it says that these books contain information on the temple and how it pertains to the task I need to complete . I guess we need to find a quiet place to study these materials or figure it out when we get to each spot . What do you think Wolborg ? " Bobby asked . Wolborg started walking .

" Guess you made your decision , figure it out as we get to each spot . Good plan , wait up will ya , can ' t complete the task without me . " Roode said following Wolborg .

**Back With the Large Group . **

" Wonder what that rumbling was ? " Jericho asked .

" Probably Jay ' s stomach , you know how he is about eating . " Adam said .

" Or Roode ' s first task , wonder what it will be or if he will tell us about it when he gets back ? " Jeff asked .

" No clue , why are you interested ? " Amy asked .

" I am thinking about writing a book . " Jeff said .

" About what ? " Glen asked .

" Our adventures . I mean if my shaman ancestors were writers and wrote about all of the other shamans that have come before us . Why not I do the same ? " Jeff questioned .

" But , would you really want to put the whole deal with our house and family in a book Jeff ? " Beth asked .

" Like I said I am thinking about writing a book , have quite made up my mind yet . " Jeff said .

" Knowing you , it won ' t take long . " Matt said .

" Guys , I just came to a conclusion . " Jay said .

" And that conclusion is ? " Adam asked .

" I ' m hungry . How about some lunch while we wait on Roode ? " Jay asked .

" Told you it was his stomach Jericho . " Adam said .

" Here are some apples Jay they will have to do for now . " Mark said shaking his head and pointed at the tree loaded with apples

" Share those . " Glen said and they ate apples for lunch .

" Not bad , they are actually quite fresh . " Matt said .

" Could be due to the fact that this land is untouched by human industrial influence , so , this land and probably other lands of the shamans are healthier and fresher than the rest of the world . " Mark said .

" I bet the animal kingdom and life itself is a lot happier down here . Makes me want to close those Gates even more . " Jeff said .

" Agreed . " Amy and Beth both said .

" Can nature heal itself , Taker ? " Adam asked .

" Over time it can or either adapt to the times . " Mark said .

" Then why does somethings become extinct ? " Jericho asked .

" Because of failer to adapt to the times . Some species of animals adapt to certain situation by learning to cope with the conditions . Those that can ' t learn to cope with the times and changing ecosystems die out . Dinosaurs became extinct because of not being able to adapt to whatever situations that they were in at the time that caused them to become extinct , same way with certain species of the Ice Age and early mammal species . But , other animals such as lizards , birds , fish , turtles , alligators , and other such animals that had ancestors at that time , did adapt to the changing of the world . Same way with people we even adapt to the time frame . Once upon a time we didn ' t have any technology or industrial knowledge , but now we have places that flourish with technology . 90 % of American homes have a TV in every room of the house and a computer for every family member . We adapt or we don ' t survive , but its like Raven said at Storm ' s cabin . Humans have been around the longest , so , we are good at surviving the worst possible disasters until the end of all things . " Mark informed them .

" You are like the big book of knowledge . How do you know so much , Taker ? " Jay asked .

" I study , read , and take time to listen to the natural world . " Mark said .

" What about undiscovered species of animals ? " Jeff asked .

" What about them , Jeff ? " Mark asked .

" Do they exist ? " Jeff asked .

" Yeah , they do . People don ' t know everything there is to Earth yet , so , I am sure there are species of animals that have yet to be discovered . Just look at how vast the ocean is , I don ' t really think that people have dived and studied the entire ocean and learned everything there is to know about the great waters . " Mark said .

" Then what about the people that get criticized for seeing things that they can ' t explain ? Like these people that see Bigfoot , Yeti , Loch Ness , and other creatures like them ? " Jeff asked curiously .

" They don ' t exist Jeff . " Matt said shaking his head .

" Yeah , and a couple of days ago you said there wasn ' t such a thing as Atlantis and Aaron said there is . Mark , do they exist ? " Jeff asked .

" Don ' t know , but I am not saying they don ' t . Like I just told you people don ' t know everything there is to Earth and it maybe that we can ' t get close enough to the animal to see it . Matt , don ' t discredit your brother ' s questions , you maybe surprised about what does exist on Earth . Just look at the goblins we fought not to long ago . " Mark said .

" You ' re right , sorry Jeff . " Matt said .

" Don ' t worry about it . " Jeff smiled slightly .

" Thanks for the apples , Taker . " Jay said .

" No problem , Jay . " Mark said .

*** Roode past the first test and got a few more artifacts , while the others got a lesson from Undertaker about the Natural World around them . Keep reading , I guarantee its going to get better . Thx . **


	3. Emotions

Chapter 2 : Emotions

_A/N: When we get to the part with the Wildcat in the Pit some of the scenes maybe graphic and not pleasing for all viewers , so , viewers discretion is advised . _

_Disclaimer : I do not own any of the WWE or TNA stars . _

**Secluded House **

Storm and Raven looked at the training field .

" How long did it take you to do all of this ? " Storm asked .

" Not long , but enough talk , time to tame your lightning . " Aaron said .

" I ' ll step out of the way . " Raven said .

" Good idea , " Salina agreed . They moved to one of the wooden benches

" Okay , Storm , how do you cause your lightning ? " Aaron asked .

" My temper . " Storm said .

Aaron set up a log on top of a stump and made sure to have a bucket of water nearby .

" Okay , strike the log with your lightning like you have been doing . " Aaron said .

" Sure , " Storm focused on his Tennessee temper and unleashed it onto the log as a streak of lightning came down on the block of wood charring it .

" At least it didn ' t catch fire . " Raven said looking at the scorched wood .

" He is powerful , " Salina said .

" So , you can hit what you are aiming for , but can you control how much energy you are putting behind your lightning ? " Zacharai asked as he approached them .

" Thats what we are working on . " Aaron said .

" How much anger are you putting behind your lightning ? " Raven asked .

" My full Tennessee , redneck temper . " Storm asked .

" Can you lower it ? " Aaron asked setting up another log .

" I can try . " Storm said .

" Okay , try to split the log with your lightning instead of destroying the whole thing this time . " Aaron said stepping back .

" Okay , " Storm focused on his temper once again , but lowered it a little . When he unleashed the lightning this time it split the log in two .

" So , he can control his powers . Thats a good skill to have , it will allow you to regulate how much energy you are using . " Zacharai looked at the Cowboy .

" Alright , now try lowering it enough to raise the log into the air . " Aaron said once he had set up a third log .

" Right , " James lowered his temper even more this time creating a sustainable lightning that raised the log into the air .

" So , you can maintain your lightning , too . James this will be easy for you . " Aaron said .

" Can you create and maintain sparks ? " Salina asked .

" I ' ll trying it . " Cowboy said and focused on low irritation instead of actual anger . Soon sparks were coming out in his hands .

" That is what we need . " Salina said .

" And it won ' t hurt Raven with you doing that . This is actually the level that they use to do electrotherapy , which does not harm anyone who doesn ' t already have a bad heart . You don ' t have a bad heart do you Raven ? " Aaron asked .

" No , I don ' t . " Raven said .

" Then I won ' t hurt her ? " Storm asked .

" No , you won ' t , but we will bump up that spark just a hair to make the creature come out , but not hurt Raven in the process . Reason , its a good thing its in her dream room and not anywhere else . The Fallen Warrior knew what he was doing trapping him in that room . " Zacharai said .

" Chris is still saving my skin and life . " Raven said .

" Mine , too . " Storm said .

" Aaron , is there any other part of the weather that Storm can control like he can his lightning ? " Raven asked .

" He should be able to . " Aaron said .

" What other part of the weather are you referring to , Raven ? " James asked her .

" Like the rain at the cabin and at the Impact Zone with the shade . " Raven said .

" He can regulate any part of the weather as long as he regulates his emotions , lightning , rain , fog . But , snow is not in his department , Roode has that skill . Storm could probably conjure up full scale twisters and monsoons if his emotions are in it , but don ' t try it until you get the rest of your gifts . You could kill everything around you including yourself . " Aaron said .

" No problem . " Storm said .

" Rain is good though . " Raven said .

" Raven do remember that you are a fire user . Water and fire doesn ' t mix that well in combat . " Aaron said .

" Who said that I was talking about combat ? I love the rain it can be quite calming in situations and relaxing . I think better when it rains . " Raven said as a light mist started coming down .

" Storm , is that you causing the mist ? " Salina asked .

" Yes , ma ' am . " Storm smiled slightly . Raven looked at him smiling , too .

" I hear you loud and clear , everything will be okay Cowboy . " Raven said knowing his emotions were a little sad and miserable right now . He knew what he would have to do to her to make the pygmy worm come out and he didn ' t like it .

" You understood ? " James asked .

" Yes I did . " Raven answered .

" You can understand him just by what he causes in the weather ? " Zacharai asked .

" Yes I can . " Raven answered .

" I was right at the house , the Shaman Warriors this time rely on each other to help them make it through . You guys know how to work as a team which will be very valiable to you in the fight against the Twelve Gates . Even though the Twelve Princes and the other demons are working towards a common goal , they are also at odds with each other for dominance that only a few work together well . Leviathan and Lilith for instance are mates so they will most likely make a good team when they work together . But , Asmodai and Leviathan can ' t stand each other , just like some of the others are the same way , so that could be an opening we have to take them out . " Salina said .

" That is what you were hinting at back at your house wasn ' t it Raven ? " James asked Fireheart .

" Yes , it was , I figured that with the way Asmodai talked about how he couldn ' t stand Leviathan that maybe we can make them turn on each other at some point . But , I will also keep in the back of my mind what Wildcat said , too . Asmodai and the rest of the demons won ' t be fooled that easily , so , if we are going with that route we need to think it through carefully and make sure no one or nothing connected to them takes the info back to them . " Raven said .

" Agreed . " Zacharai said .

" I wonder how the Wildcat is doing ? " Storm thinking about his AMW brother venturing around in the Pit .

" He ' ll be okay Storm . " Aaron said .

" Physically he will be okay , but what about his emotional and mental state ? " Raven asked .

" No ones mind or emotions is ever okay walking around in the Pit , but when one is at peace and know what they are doing is for the right reasons and for the good of everyone involved . It will help them get through the roughest dangers , even with one in such a disheartening place like Hell . " Salina said .

" At least this time he chose to go instead of being forced into the Pit by Asmodai . " James said .

" At least this time he doesn ' t have a demon in him , which could make everything worse . " Aaron said .

" Thats the last thing we need . " Raven acknowledged .

" Lets go to the house and discuss how we are going to complete what we need to get done . " Zacharai said . They followed him .

**In the Pit **

When Wildcat walked into the Pit he nearly had to cover his ears from shrills and wailing from the wicked people down in the Lake of Fire which was literally a flowing sea of lava like stuff , but hundred times hotter than the normal scalding point .

" Thank you Lord for your graceous gift of a peaceful afterlife , because I wouldn ' t want to be down here for eternity . " Chris said looking at the scene around him which was worse than any nightmare , because of it being real .

Another thing he was glad for was the cloak and boots he was wearing that allowed the demons and wicked people not to see or hear him walking around in the Pit . The boots weren ' t very heavy on his feet and the armor and cloak were also very lightweight , so , he wouldn ' t get tired or hot quickly and have to stop and rest . Not having to eat or sleep because of technically being dead would also help speed up his mission , so , he could get out of that horrid place sooner than later .

Harris began walking down a long path to the Second Level of Hell to find the Second Gate . He took much care not to touch or bump into anything or anyone that came close to him . Chris had to hold his breath several times when one of the demons came close to him , all in fear of them smelling or hearing him .

" When did I become a scaredy cat ? " Chris wondered to himself . He never spoke outloud because of someone hearing him .

He finally made it to the actual lake of fire and stared across it at the rivers flowing from it and through out the rest of hell until it got dark towards the bottom . The darkness started at the Eleventh Layer of Hell , where Sammael ruled and went all the way through to Lucifer ' s Twelfth Layer of the Pit . Both layers were also covered in ice and extremely cold with the last layer being the coldest and darkest place of Heaven , Earth , and Hell .

" Don ' t fall in Cat . " Chris warned himself as he looked around until he saw a path leading to the Second of the Twelve Gates .

" Getting to the Second Gate will be quite easy . " He said looking at the far off door leading to Earth . He also noticed that it was open like the first .

" So , the Second Gate is open . " Chris said walking towards the path and then up it to the door .

He stopped before he reached the Second Door because right infront of him was Balor guarding the entrance .

" Stupid pig , " Chris thought to himself , but remember his task .

He walked on the left side of Balor to get around him and walked straight to the Second Gate . He pulled the magical book out and when he got to the Second Gate , he opened the book to the last page where the location of the First Gate was wrote down . Once again the book lit up , only where he could see it , and the number and location of the Second Gate on Earth appeared .

" Two down , ten more to go . " Chris thought to himself putting the book up . He look to the far north of the Pit where the Third Gate was located in Hell . It wasn ' t visible where he was standing , but he knew it was there .

" The next one will take a long walk to get there . Lets go quickly and quietly where nothing will notice me and I can get out of here . " Chris thought to himself .

*** I thought it was touching to have the mist come from Storm at the end of the scene with him , Raven , Aaron , Salina , and Zacharai . I thought it was also kind of cool to find out that Raven can read the Cowboy ' s thoughts through his emotions . **


	4. Temple of the Wolverine

Chapter 3 : Temple of the Wolverine

_Disclaimer : I do not own any of the WWE or TNA stars . _

**Secluded House **

" Okay Raven , your turn to prepare yourself . " Salina said to her .

" How does one prepare themselves for getting zapped ? " Raven asked .

" Please don ' t say that . " James said .

" Sorry , " Raven said .

" You need to eat first and drink plenty of water . " Salina said .

" I thought water was a conductor of electricity ? " Raven asked .

" It is on the outside of your body , but inside your body it provides your heart , lungs , and other valuable inner parts of your body to feed off of something other than draining your body of the limited amount of fluids already in your body . Food is going to provide you with extra energy and stamina to keep your body from going into shock or an overload . " Salina said .

" So , start drinking water , not anything else . " Aaron said .

" Why no liquor ? " Storm asked curiously .

" It evaporates to quickly when electricity is added to it . Which could explain why you hold liquor better than others , since that electrical energy is already in you . " Aaron said .

" Of course Raven can hold a fair amount , too . Fire also burns alcohol very quickly evaporating it from the body . So , here is the water . " Zacharai said sitting a huge bucket of water in front of her .

" Damn , " Raven said .

" Chug it babe . " James said getting a look from Raven .

Raven looked at the water and started drinking it .

**The Path**

" Hmm , no land marks yet or other statues . " Roode said . He was still walking the path with Wolborg . They were walking up a hill .

" Maybe we will see something when we reach the top of this hill . " Roode looked down at Wolborg who stopped .

" Why are you stopping ? " Roode asked as he looked at the river next to him . They had met it a while back and it ran along the path .

Wolborg walked to the river and saw a small fish in it . He used his paw and claws to swip the fish out of the river .

" Chow time . What about me ? " Roode asked the wolverine . Wolborg looked up at the tree infested with apples and pears .

" Ah thanks that will work . " Bobby shook his head pulling a few apples and pears off of the tree . As soon as they were through with lunch , they continued up the hill .

" Well , that took some time , but we finally made it to the top . What is that ? " Roode looked at a pillar standing dead center of the path a little ways from the top of the hill .

" Who in the world built a large pillar out here ? " Roode asked as they came to it .

Bobby put his hand out touching the pillar and it started to shake .

" Why do I always have to touch things ? And why does this place always have to shake when I do touch things ? " Roode asked as the pillar sank into the ground and a large ice covered pond opened up as the ground parted .

" Oh yeah that is normal , ice pond appears out of nowhere . How do we get across the slick surface , because I forgot to bring my ice skates ? " Roode asked as Wolborg touched his boots .

" The Frostclimber boots , Zacharai did say they were made for walking on slick surfaces and climbing up high altitudes . Lets see . " Roode said stepping out onto the ice . He braced himself , but realized that he was steady .

" Wow , that was something . " Roode said as Wolborg went waltzing out across the ice pond like it was no big deal .

" Show off , " Bobby said following him across the ice pond to the other side . Finally they both stepped off of the ice and right in front of them was a huge temple .

" Well that is a sight for the world to see . " Roode said . Wolborg growled and pulled another scroll and wolverine medallion from a small box on the ground .

" You know this place well don ' t you ? " Roode asked taking the scroll from the wolverine .

" Let see what this one says Wolborg . Welcome Wolverine Shaman to the Temple of the Wolverine , your task awaits you , but first take the time to read the first chapter of the book you received by completing your first task the boulder that unlocked the entrance to the Temple door for it contains the history of the Temple of the Wolverine . " Roode read outloud to him and Wolborg .

" Let see about this book . " Roode said sitting on the ground next to a tree . He pulled out the book and using his Wolverine Shaman eyes he found the chapter and read it .

" The temple is the birth place of the Wolverine Shaman animals . All wolverines that have been connected to the Warrior of the Northern Lights come here to mate and to dedicate their offspring to the duty of protecting the innocences of the world . When the Wolverine Shaman Warrior is named , the leader of the current generation of the wolverine species become the current Ice Guardian and partner to the Warrior of the Northern Lights . You were born here ? " Roode asked Wolborg after the It Factor had read the first chapter of the book . Wolborg nodded his head yes .

" This is you home and you are the leader of the currect generation of wolverines ? " Roode asked looking at his partner . Wolborg once again nodded his head yes .

" You were ment to be my partner ? " Roode asked . Wolborg growled his final yes .

" So , where do we go next ? " Roode asked standing up . Wolborg walked to the entrance of the Temple of the Wolverine with Bobby following him .

" Into the Temple we go . " Bobby agreed .

**Secluded Location**

" Damn , how much have I eaten and drank ? " Raven asked .

" Enough to help you survive what is coming . " Salina said .

" I don ' t know why you are complaining babe ? This stuff is delicious . " Storm said .

" Yeah , but you are not having to eat a whole lot of it . " Raven looked at the Cowboy .

" She can stop now . " Zacharai said .

" Thank you , okay whats next ? " Raven asked . Storm looked at Zacharai .

" Anything metal you have on , you need to take off . Metal is a good conductor of electricity , which will make you like a huge lightning rod if you are wearing any . " Aaron said .

" Okay , " Raven said and took off both her high school ring and softball state championship ring . She also took off the angel locket that Chris had given back to her and her locket of her brothers . She also took off her belt which had metal in it .

" What about my hairband ? " Raven asked .

" Does it have a metal tab on it ? " Storm asked .

" Yes , it does . " Raven answered .

" Then take it off . " Salina said .

Raven pulled her hair down and shook it loose .

" You are losing some of the color in your hair Raven . The black is the only dominate color still in it as far as hair dye . " Storm said .

" Yeah , I know . I told Amy the other day that I missed it . " Raven said .

" Thats all of the metal ? " Zacharai asked .

" Yes sir , " Raven answered .

" Wait a minute , Raven you told me that you threw your shoulder out playing softball in high school ? " Storm asked .

" Yes , I did , why ? " Raven asked .

" You don ' t have any metal in your shoulder do you ? " Storm asked .

" No they didn ' t put any in to fix my shoulder they just tighted a few muscles that had come loose . " Raven answered .

" You don ' t have any other injuries from wrestling do you ? " Aaron asked .

" I have never been injuried in the ring , Aaron . " Raven said .

" So , no metal in your body ? " Storm asked .

" No , James , all the metal I have is off of my body . " Raven said .

" Then its time . " Zacharai said looking at Raven and then Storm who looked at him nervous .

" James , calm your emotions , now is not the time for you to get nervous . " Raven said looking at him .

" Sorry , I just don ' t like risking the fact that I could hurt you . " Storm said soft - eyed .

" I know , " Raven said pulling him closer to her .

" You two want a few minutes ? " Aaron asked .

" Yes , please . " Raven said .

" Do you have a room ? " Storm looked at Aaron . He looked to the room to the side and gestured to it for Storm to take the hint .

" Thank you . " Storm said as he and Raven went into the room alone .

" You think this is wise Aaron ? " Salina asked .

" Let them be Salina . They know what they want . " Aaron said .

So , the other three walked out of the house for a few minutes .


	5. Loving You

Chapter 4 : Loving You

**The Room**

Storm closed the door after going into the room at the secluded house . He then turned and looked at Raven , she could tell that his eyes were full of emotions .

" Raven , I love you and I don ' t want anything to happen to you . " Storm said holding her close to him .

" I know and I am scared , too . But , sometimes as a family we need to work through both the good things and bad things that we may have to go through together . This is one of those times when we work through the bad . I need you to do this for me . I don ' t want anyone getting hurt because of what is in my head right now . This thing could hurt me , hurt you , hurt our friends , our family , and everything else we care for including the innocent in the world . I swore an oath to not run away from my troubles or danger again , especially when there is an innocent life at stake and right now that innocent life could very well be me and you both . Think of all that I know in my head right now , including both of our families . My dad , my mom , my brothers , your daughter and its not just our families . I know the secrets to the seals we gave Sting at the Impact Zone to keeping them safe . I know where Styles , Daniels , and Kaz have Ruby and the seals given to them to help WWE . I know about Chris ' s mission and what the key is to locking the Gates . I know some of the secrets to the Shamans . That information can ' t get back to Lucifer and the rest of the demons . So , please do this for everyone and everything we care about . ' Courage is being scared to death , but saddling up anyways ' John Wayne . Time to saddle up Cowboy . " Raven said .

" You ' re right , but I . . . " Storm started to say , but instead grabbed Raven and pulled her in for an emotional and passionate kiss .

" Mmmm , Storm , you sure you want to do this right now ? " Raven asked .

" Yes , I do . Please , I just want it to feel normal for once since this whole mess started . I just want to hold you . " Storm begged .

" Okay , okay baby come here , we ' ll see how far we can go . " Raven said .

Storm looked at her and then picked her up pushing her up against the wall kissing her passionately . Raven ' s legs instinctively wrapped around the Cowboy ' s waist as he pulled her shirt off over her head . He looked at her for a few minutes and then layed her down on the bed in the room .

" Wow , you are beautiful Raven . " Storm looked at her beautiful tanned body not believing she was all his .

" I am waiting . " Raven hinted .

" Impatient , too . Then you may want to wait a little longer , because I am taking this slow . " Storm said .

Before Raven could respond James started kissing her lips passionately again this time starting out slowly and with every moment the kisses got more heated . Soon , he slipped his tongue into her mouth as they battled for power with Storm winning and a moan coming from Raven . Storm then broke the kiss looking at her .

" How was it ? " Storm asked smiling .

" Hmm , like the mix of Bud Light , Jack Daniels , and Moonshine all rolled into one , just without the buzz and killer hangover later . " Raven said getting a laugh from the Cowboy .

" Thats good , I will remember that . " James said .

" Good , but now I want more . " Raven hinted .

" As you wish . " James said .

He kissed her lips one more time and then moved to the area between the back of her ears and the shoulders kissing the sensitive skin on her neck . He then bit down on the area of her neck getting a moan from Raven and then lapping at the spot he bit down on .

" Mmmm , James that feels good . " Raven said as he continued his path to her shoulders kissing them .

He then pulled off to look into her eyes seeing hunger for him in them . Raven reached behind her and unhooked her bra , pulling the straps on her arm down slowly one at a time . Storm watched her licking his lips at the exposed skin .

" Stop , I want to do the rest . " Storm said .

" Sure , " Raven agreed .

Storm started kissing her arms and the newly exposed skin that was previously hidden from him by Raven ' s bra . He kissed every part that was visible on her chest getting more pleasurable moans from Raven . Her eyes were closed until she felt Storm pulling her bra away from her breast exposing more skin . Finally the fabric was pulled away from her nipples exposing them to the cold air . Storm let her bra fall to the floor where her shirt already laid .

" Damn , the air is colder here . " Raven said feeling her nipples harden .

" Good thing we have warm bodies then . " Storm said using his hands to cup her breast . He played with them for a few minutes especially her nipples .

" Mmmm , that feels good . Storm , wow . " Raven said as he continued to manipulate her breasts in ways that was very pleasurable and torturing for her .

Storm then took her left nipple into his mouth getting a gasp of breath from Raven . He started sucking on her left nipple and swirling his tongue around the nipple getting moans from her . Raven also bucked her hips a little wanting more .

" Easy girl . " Storm said letting go of the left nipple .

" Damn Cowboy , " Raven said breathing .

Storm smiled before doing the same thing he did to the left nipple to the right nipple only getting similiar results from .

" Damn darlin , your nipples are sensitive . " Storm said before going and repeating the process on both nipples getting a release from her .

" Storm , " She looked at him after she fell from her first climax .

" I think I hit a mark there sugar . " Storm said .

" No kidding . " Raven said . She looked at him as he started kissing her abdomen and he swirled his tongue into her navel . He continued to leave small kisses on her belly until she stopped him .

" What baby ? " Storm asked .

" Come here . " Raven said . He came closer to her standing on all fours to keeping his weight off of her .

" What ? " He asked again before she reached up kissing his lips . At the same time she used her leverage to flip him over onto his back .

" Wow , that was fun . " James said once she broke the kiss .

" Time to make the Cowboy feel good . " Raven said .

She began kissing him passionately with every moment heating up even more . She reached down to the coattail of his shirt and pulled it off of his body . Raven then moved off of him to get a better look at his body . The claw marks from the imp had completely healed with not even a single scar on his chest . His muscles were perfectly designed between working on his farm and working out in the gym . James ' s body was also naturally tanned from working and being in the outdoors . He was beauty personified . But it wasn ' t just outward beauty , his southern hospitality and manners gave Raven only more reason to love the man she was going to be married to in the near future .

" What are you thinking about ? " Storm asked .

" How happy I am to know that you will be mine for the rest of my life , and that no one , not even the demons , are going to get away with hurting the ones I love . " Raven said .

" Good , now how about we finish talking and get to more loving ? " Storm asked .

Raven looked at him for a moment and then began running her left hand over his shoulder , down his chest , and to his abs feeling the muscles .

" You ' ve healed pretty well . " Raven said looking back at his chest . She didn ' t feel any evidence of a demon clawing the Cowboy .

" Thanks to you and Aaron . " Storm said before she started kissing his chest .

" Uh , oh , ah heck , Raven . " James looked at her as her tongue came in contact with his nipples making him groan and shiver in pleasure . She continued to torture the Cowboy ' s nipples giving him much pleasure , but the real torture came when she closed her mouth around his right nipple and began sucking on it . Storm , moan and groaned in much pleasure . Raven alternated between nipples sucking on them getting gasps of breath from Storm .

" Damn , " James said when she let go .

" Feel good ? " Raven asked .

" Good ? It felt great . " Storm smiled .

Raven continued on her path to please her favorite Cowboy by kissing her way down his abdomen , swirling her tongue in his navel , and then kissing him in the area between his navel and pubic area . Storm had his eyes closed because she stayed there for few minutes kissing and caressing that area .

" Hmm , I think we need to lose more clothes . Boots off Cowboy and I don ' t care how good they look on you . " Raven joked .

" I never knew that the right woman would love the cowboy boots . I always thought it was the twang and my ass in these tight jeans . " Storm chuckled as he took them and his socks off .

" Or your ass in those tights you wear in the ring . " Raven said smiling to her self at the thought .

" Shit and those are back at the cabin . " James laughed .

" I ' ll do with what I got for now . Maybe after this is through we can deal with that idea . " Raven said coming over to James standing up and pulled him in for a kiss .

While she was kissing him , her fingers found its way to unhooking his belt and the button on his jeans . She broke the kiss to look at him longing for her . Raven pushed his jeans down to his ankles along with his underwear .

" Step out of those Mr . Tennessee . " She said .

" You like giving me orders don ' t you ? " He asked doing as she said .

" At times , I ' m not going to tame you though . I think I would lose some of that charm if I did . I like having a wild stallion , that is free , fearless , a little stubborn and definitely beautiful . " Raven said .

" Wild Stallion , " Storm smiled .

" And I am definitely ready for a rodeo with you . I don ' t know if I can hang on for the full eight seconds , but I damn will try . " Raven said .

" Well come on then let see what this Wild Stallion has in him . " Storm said .

Raven looked at Storm for a moment and came over to him pushing him down on the bed .

" Okay , this is a good start . " He agreed .

Raven then climbed onto him laying down between his legs and taking his pride into her mouth . Storm instantly groaned in pleasure , but the groans became more when she started sucking on him . He injoyed every part of what she was doing and then he came when she swallowed releasing his first load . She pulled off swallowing what he gave her .

" Damn , " Storm said . He pulled her up to him kissing her while flipping her back over onto her back .

" Your turn . " Raven said .

Storm unhooked her jeans and pulled them off along with her underwear letting them fall to the floor . He then looked back at her gasping for breath at how beautiful she was , but also at the horse tattoo on her right thigh .

" You never said you had ink . " Storm looked at Raven .

" Yeah , thats Satin , I wanted her tattooed on me after she died . " Raven said .

" Any other surprises ? " James asked .

" Only the one you already know about . " Raven said thinking about the one part of her that was missing that she would have loved to have given Storm right now . But , that was no longer her choice and she was going to give him the best she still had in her .

" I don ' t need that from you , Raven . I just want to please you and make sure you are never hurt again . " Storm said .

" It wasn ' t his fault , just that stupid demon . " Raven said .

" I know . " James knowing who she was talking about .

" So , lets not worry about them right now and just let it be us for this moment . But , I also hate to ask this , do you have ? " Raven said .

" No problem . " James said reaching into his bag and pulling out a condom .

" Then we are ready . " Raven said .

" First let me please you . " James said sticking two of his fingers in her pleasure rolling her clit between his fingers .

" Uh , James , never mine , keep . . . " Raven started mumbling and stopped with the joy she was getting from him fondling her .

" Relax and enjoy the moment , baby . Thats it darlin let go off all of your troubles and let me heal your heart . " Storm said as he continued to pleasure her .

Storm pulled his fingers out and sucked on them for a few minutes . Then he layed down between her legs and began licking her pleasure , getting heavy breathing and deep moans from her . Soon , she was ready for him .

James slipped the condom on and moved to where he was eye level with Raven . She looked into his blue eyes with her own blue eyes .

" Let Cowboy take care of you , Raven . " James said .

" I love you , " Raven said .

" I love you , too , darlin . " He said and entered her . They made love until both of them came .

James and Raven both laid there for a few minutes in each other arms . Storm then pulled out of her , got up , and disposed of the condom . Then he came back and laid down beside her .

" What do we do now ? " Storm asked .

" Do what we have to . " Raven answered .

" I ' ll do it , but know this . Whatever happens , I love you with all that I am and all that I ever will be . But , I will get that creature out of your head no matter what it takes . I won ' t let it hurt you any longer or hurt us and our friends . " Storm said with a new determination and strength to help his future wife .

" Thank you . " She said . They got up and got dressed , then left the room .


	6. Sanctuary of the Wolverine

Chapter 5 : Sanctuary of the Wolverine

**The Third Layer of the Pit **

Chris walked along the fiery lake of the pit for use of the light from the fire . He looked around and saw a path going down to the third door . He had been walking around for hours , which actually felt like days to him , searching for the Third Gate . He saw that the Gate was open , knowing exactly whose layer this was .

" Asmodai , so , this is where you rest in the Pit . " Chris said looking at the surrounding area . He saw a torture area where the wicked where constantly being punished for their years of lust on Earth .

" I guess some people are ment to be here , like those that sexually abuse the innocent . But , it doesn ' t mean I have to like this place . " Chris said walking up to the door . He pulled out the book to the last page letting the name and location of the Third Gate into Hell appear on the book .

" Nine Layers left , quarter of the way through . " Chris said looking down to the fourth layer which required him to cross the lake of fire without a land path .

" I wonder if I could teleport across it . " Chris said putting the book in a safe and secure place in his Fallen Armor . He imagined teleporting across to the other side of the lake and then he was there . He looked back to the Third Gate .

" Thank the Lord for that . " Wildcat looked at the path leading to the Fourth Gate . The Gate was almost right in front of him .

" So , Molloch and Asmodai really are neighbors . No wonder they get along more than Asmodai does with the others . At least the Gate is right here and not completely open . The locks are still moving and the blood has not reached the lock yet . " Harris said watching the locks moving as the red liquid filled them up . He once again open the book and the Fourth Gate was recorded in the book .

" At least we still have a little time with the Fourth Gate not open yet . " Chris said .

**Large Group **

Everyone with the large group was still sitting in the grass waiting on Roode to complete his task . More shakes were felt .

" I don ' t think those shakes were Jay ' s stomach anymore Adam . " Jericho said .

" That is unless he has something else he needs to do . " Adam said .

" Gross , " Beth said looking at the two Canadians .

" Don ' t mind them Beth , they will destroy whatever sanity you still have left . " Jeff said .

" I wonder how much longer before Bobby gets back ? " Jay asked .

" No clue , " Matt said .

" Hey , Adam . " Jay said .

" What ? " Adam asked .

" I have an idea . Since your animal allows you to be observant , why don ' t you climb that tree and look towards the direction Roode went to see if you see him or Wolborg ? " Jay thought .

" Not a bad idea . " Glen said .

" And it came from Jay Reso , somebody make a note of this . " Amy said .

" Done , and done . " Jeff said writing it down .

" What are you doing over there Jeff ? " Mark asked .

" I made up my mind . I am writing down everything we have done in this quest . " Jeff said .

" Told you he would . " Matt said .

Behind them Adam started climbing the tree .

" So , we are going to be in a book wrote by Jeff Hardy ? " Jericho asked .

" You guys are already going to be in a book wrote by Jeff Hardy , as in my autobiography that will one day be finished . You really don ' t think I would leave out the TLC Era now did you or the start of the New Millennium ? " Jeff looked at Jericho .

" No , of course that would be my year and it was a great year too Jeff , excellent thinking . Who did you take after ? " Jericho asked as Adam got to the top branch of the tree .

" Legendary Claude Gilbert Hardy and P . S . Michael Hayes . " Jeff said high - fiving his brother .

" I made it . " Adam called as they looked at him .

" Hey look Jeff , Adam is enjoying your favorite pastime , climbing high objects . " Jay said .

" Yeah , having fun up there ? You could have always invited me ? " Jeff questioned .

" Of course , Jeff . Now lets see what we have . " Adam began surveying the area Roode went to do his task .

" We have a monkey in a tree named Adam Copeland . " Matt said .

" Shut up , Matt . " Adam said .

" Boys be civil . " Amy said .

" Sorry , " Adam and Matt both said .

" I don ' t see anything , but tree tops . Guess the forest is pretty dense . " Adam said .

He came back down the tree and they continued to sit on the ground .

**Temple of the Wolverine **

Roode and Wolborg had been walking around quite a bit in the temple using the map provided for them outside .

" This place is quite amazing Wolborg and quite beautiful . You are a lucky guy to have such a place that has not been tampered with and polluted by human contact . " Roode said . Wolborg looked up at him as they reached a door leading downstairs .

" Are there catacombs down here like in the Ruins of the Wolverine ' s Den ? " Roode asked before opening the door . Wolborg shook his head no .

" Then lets enter . " Roode said opening the door and then walking down the stairs into a large open room .

There was a sanctuary to the left that opened into the hills off the snow - capped mountains . To the left was statues of wolverines standing next to their Shaman partner .

" What is this place ? " Roode looked down at Wolborg . The wolverine roared and the next thing that Bobby Roode saw was a female wolverine walking towards them with two cubs .

" Do you know them ? " Bobby asked and got his answer when Wolborg and the female wolverine rubbed heads .

" She is your mate ? So , that would mean that these cubs are your offspring ? Wolborg are you a father ? " Roode asked looking at the two little cubs . Wolborg nodded his head yes to Roode ' s questions .

One of the cubs walked up to Wolborg and began pulling on one of his ears .

" Well , me and you both have something in common besides being from Canada . We are also both fathers . " Roode smiled at the thought of his three boys at home , Riley , Nicholas , and Bobby III with his wife Tracy .

Roode began looking at the statues as Wolborg walked beside him . As he got closer to the statue in the middle it start glowing and so did one of the crystals in his pocket . He took it them and looked at each one carefully . The first thing that Roode notice was the crystals he was holding was just like the one he used to complete the task in the guard tower outside of the Den .

" Could it really be that simple ? " He said looking at the holes in the statue .

He began placing the crystals in the same order he did in the tower , making sure that the clear - blue crystal went last . After he was done the statue swung back on a door revealing a room .

" Why do I feel like I am in a movie with Indiana Jones or with Nicholas Cage in National Treasure ? " Roode asked as he walked inside and Wolborg followed him making sure his family stayed outside .

Once both were inside of the room , the door closed by itself .

" That isn ' t comforting . We need to complete the task in order to leave this room . This must be the heart of it . "

Roode looked around and saw a pedestal in the middle of the room on both sides was a spot for two medallions . Roode pulled the two medallions out of his bag and put them in the proper spots , then a hole appeared in the ground taking the pedestal and replacing it with another pedestal that had a clear - blue carving of a wolverine on it .

" Is this what I have come for ? " Roode asked as he reached out to touch the carving it froze over .

" What happened ? " Roode asked .

" You are not permitted to touch the treasure of the Wolverine ' s Den and take the power that it has for your own , unless you can best me in combat . " Said a ghostly figure of the man on the statue and the wolverine on the statue was at his side .

" Who are you ? " Bobby asked .

" I am the last Wolverine Shaman , you are my successor . Unlike those that came before me and the rest of my fellow Shaman Warriors at the time , those of my generation was not able to work as a team . Even though we all felt the same in protecting the innocences of the world , our own personal disagreements became a problem for us , and so the world was punished for our lack of judgement . Darkness came in the form of Jack the Ripper and two World Wars , an atomic bomb and Spanish Influenza , but the honors that we abandoned in life will be up hold in death . We will right our own wrongs and protect the treasure of the Shaman ' s until the right successor comes along , but only by beating me will you pass your task . Come young warrior , I will only fight you if you are armed . " The ghost of the previous Wolverine Shaman lead Roode into a combat area .

" Ready yourself . " The ghost said once he had gotten into the circle . The wolverines stayed back .

" Right , " Roode pulled Icebreaker out of its sheath .

" Now we see if you are worthy to hold the powers . " The ghost said and came at Roode with his own sword .

Soon a battle between Roode and the ghost was taking place , both were evenly matched . But then Roode remembered Sunrise with Harris .

" Wolborg , I need your help . " Roode called and the wolverine came into him like Sunrise had done with Harris . When Roode changed he was more intense and stronger than he had ever felt .

" What is this magic ? " The ghost asked .

" Power of teamwork . " Roode said and strengthened his sword with his ice powers .

" Time for the final strike young warrior . " The ghost said and swung the sword at Roode ' s head who defend himself by striking at the sword with Icebreaker using all of his strength .

The ghost ' s sword shattered like the sword Harris had used to help Roode practice back at Salina ' s house . Roode stuck the blade of his sword up next to the neck of the warrior .

" I win , because I am not going to strike you down . You are an honorable fighter and innocent soul , but right now you are also unarmed which would make me worse than the demons invading the Earth right now if I give a finishing blow . " Roode said removing the sword from the ghost ' s neck .

" You walk with honor and respect for the innocent hearts , but yet you stand against the evil striking fear into the hearts of those who oppress the weak and defenseless . Go take the treasure and the power of the Wolverine Shamans , may it help you in your quest and becareful of worldly veiws that cloud the mind . May the grace of God and blood of our Lord , Jesus Chris watch over you young warrior . " The ghost disappeared and the ice disappeared from around the Wolverine Statue .

Wolborg and Roode separated bodies . They looked at each other and then Bobby took the statue . He held it for a few minutes and then the ice powers within it surrounded him . When the It Factor reappeared out of the ice , his armor was changed from the hockey gear into real out of the old days armor of leather and chain mail . The leather was in light blue color though and the symbol of the Wolverine emblazoned on the chest of the armor . His weapons were the same and in the same location .

" Wow , I passed the task . " Roode said as the door opened .


	7. Second Chances

Chapter 6 : Second Chances

**Secluded House**

" Are you ready Raven ? " Salina asked .

The five were in a stone like area of the house .

" Yes , but why stone ? " Raven asked .

" Because , stone doesn ' t ignite when struck by a spark , wood does . Here sit in this chair . " Salina said moving it to her .

" It feels like glass . " Raven said .

" It is glass . Glass is not a conductor of electricity , nor will it shatter . " Salina said .

" Okay , Storm are you ready to go through with this ? " Aaron looked at him .

" I am , " He said calmly .

" So , am I , lets get rid of this pygmy worm . " Raven said .

" We are right here if you need us . " Zacharai said .

" But , we are going to step back some . " Aaron said as the three backed away .

" I love you , " Storm said .

" I love you , too , Cowboy . " Raven said back to him .

" Now , " Storm said and Raven braced herself .

" Relax your mind Raven . " Salina said . Raven did as she was told .

" Go for it James . " Raven said .

Storm began creating a sustaining spark with his electrical powers .

" Just a little higher , James . " Zacharai said . The Cowboy did as he was told .

" Thats enough , go for it . " Aaron said .

The Cowboy hit Raven with the spark and she began feeling the shock . It wasn ' t so bad at first , but it grew . But , she fault back the pain . She could feel the thing in her head not liking it .

Aaron said a small chant that released the seal that Harris had placed in her head . The pygmy worm didn ' t like that and tried to hide deeper in Raven ' s head .

" A little more , Storm . " Aaron said . Storm cranked up the electricity a little more .

" Ehh , hhh , " Raven breathed heavier because she could feel the thing coming out and the electricity was getting painful .

" Easy Raven , " Salina said .

" Ah , ehh , " Raven felt it more with every passing minute . By the time the pygmy worm had come out Raven was at the point of passing out .

" Storm stop , its out . Quit focusing on Raven and focus on the creature itself . " Aaron said and Storm did as he was told killing the pygmy worm leaving it in a pile of ashes .

" Stay away from my woman . " Storm said once the sparks were gone .

" Is - is it over ? " Raven asked breathing heavy .

" Yes , Raven its over . " Salina said .

Storm came to Raven kneeling beside her .

" Are you okay ? " James asked concerned .

" I didn ' t actually start feeling anything until that thing started feeling it . But , other than that I am okay , just need to rest a little bit . " Raven said before passing out , nearly falling out of the chair before James caught her .

" Raven , Raven , come on speak to me . " Storm said .

" Easy , James . " Aaron said coming over with a flashlight .

" Aaron , is she okay ? " Storm asked .

Aaron check her pulse and eyes for signs of shock or other side effects .

" She ' s fine . She ' s just exhausted from the energy drain and that thing being in her . Once she rests and recuperates , Raven will be fine . Here take her into the room you guys used earlier and let her sleep , Storm . " Aaron said .

" Right , " Storm said carrying Raven into the room they had used earlier . He layed her gently on the bed .

" No one will hurt you my love . " James whispered in her ear and giving her a kiss on her forehead .

He straightened up as Salina came into the room .

" You might want to cover her up , with what she just went through the energy drain might make her a little cold for the moment . " Salina said .

" Yes ma ' am . " Storm said doing as Salina asked .

" You have great respect . " Salina said watching her daughter sleep .

" The way I was raised . " Storm said .

" Why do you care so much about my daughter ? " Salina asked .

" Maybe we shouldn ' t talk about this here . I don ' t want her waking up and getting stressed over things that might be said while we are talking . " James said .

" Then lets talk . " Salina said leading him out and to the kitchen table .

" I care about your daughter , because I love her . There is no one like her that has ever been in my life or touched me so much . She saved my life and understands the same lifestyle I live . " Storm said honestly .

" You ever been in love before now ? " Salina asked .

" Yes , I have . But , she did like the way I lived or the fact that I chose to have a career in wrestling . She tried to use the job to take my daughter away from me . " Storm said .

" You have a daughter ? " Salina asked .

" Yes , I do . I also know what Raven is going through with you not being there for her when she was little . " James said not hiding anything .

" Not you too . Why are all of you questioning my decisions to protect my kids and their father ? " Salina asked .

" I am not questioning your decision in protecting your family and I understand not wanting to take whatever you were hunting home with you . Trust me I do , reason I won ' t be going home when we head back to Tennessee when Roode is done with his task . I don ' t want to take this mess home to my little girl and risk something happening to her . But , what about now ? Your daughter is here now and everything you have said to her or about her has been negative . Calling her stubborn , accussing her of giving up and walking away , and not looking at her when she walks in the door . You call her your heir without even acknowledging her as your daughter . Sometimes you need to love your kid before you expect anything out of them and sometimes that means getting their trust back . I know what its like to be without a parent . I lost my father when I was little and I don ' t get a second chance to talk to him until I reach heaven . But , your daughter is in there and rather she says it or not she wants a second chance with you , just like you should with her . And holding out on her because of an illness is not the smartest idea , either . " Storm said getting a look from Salina .

" Aaron told you guys didn ' t he ? " Salina asked .

" Yes , he told the truth . Will it affect her or any kids we plan on having in the future ? " James asked .

" No , its not that type of illness . Plus , Blake was already born when I got the illness , so , it won ' t affect any of them . I got the illness while searching for the secret to helping the Shaman Warriors , you and your friends . I went into a dark , place that was tainted by a dark entity to find the book that Harris is using to locate the Twelve Gates . The waters of that land caused the debilitating illness that slowly stripped away the powers I once had . Only the waters of the Great Sanctuary can restore those powers . No one will be harmed by what I have . " Salina said .

" Then tell her that . " Storm said getting up and walking back into the room .

**The Room**

Storm walked to the bed and laid down beside Raven taking her into his arms . He watched her sleep wondering what she was thinking about . At least now he knew she would never be affect by her mother ' s illness and neither would her family or their future kids .

" Love you , " Raven said opening her eyes to look at Storm .

" Love you , too . How are you feeling ? " James asked .

" I ' m okay , just exhausted from that thing being in my head and messing with my dreams and sleep . " Raven said letting her left hand rest on Storm ' s chest .

" Then rest up baby , we have a little time . " Storm kissed her on her forehead and then kissed her lips .

" Any word yet from Roode or Harris ? " Raven asked .

" None yet , but Zacharai went back to where he lead Roode and the others so Bobby could complete his task . " Storm said .

" Do you think he is done ? " Raven asked .

" I don ' t know , but for some reason I feel like Roode completed his task now . " Storm said .

" You guys were a tag team , so , you guys have more of a connection than just through your shaman gifts , Cowboy . " Raven said .

" And you guys can sense what the other is doing if you try hard enough , but don ' t push it where you drain all of your energy . It could kill you both . " Salina said standing in the doorway .

" Yes , ma ' am . " Storm said looking at Salina .

" Any word from them ? " Raven asked Salina .

" Yeah , Zacharai sent Sunrise here with a message that they are going to meet us back at my house . So , as soon as you are rested we will go . Bobby complete his task . " Salina said .

" Never doubted him , " Storm said .

" Me either , my Canadian brother never lets us down . " Raven said .

" Yeah , and he probably found out a lot more about himself by completing the task and a lot more about Wolborg . How are you feeling Raven ? " Aaron asked .

" Better , " Raven said .

" Alright , lets get ready to go . " Salina said as she and Aaron left the room .

" You sure you are ready to move ? " Storm asked .

" Yes , I can rest better at Salina ' s house . " Raven said .

They both packed up their gear and left the secluded house with Aaron and Salina .


	8. Target Practice

Chapter 7 : Target Practice

**Salina ' s House **

Storm , Raven , Aaron , and Salina walked into Salina ' s house about noon time , the group with Zacharai was already there . When Storm and Raven saw Roode in his new armor they were amazed .

" Damn , you have new gear . " Storm said making Roode turn and look at the Cowboy and Raven .

" My friends are back . " Roode said hugging them both .

" Yeah , we ' re good and demonic creature free . " Raven said .

" So , you complete your task and from the looks of it you got new armor as well ? " Storm asked .

" Yes , according to Zacharai , this is the True Shaman Armor . " Roode said .

" True Shaman Armor ? " Raven asked looking at Zacharai .

" Yes , the armor that you first received is considered to be the inconspicuous armor that can be worn publicly and no one will suspect you guys are the Shaman Warriors unless you come right out and say it or show them your powers . The armor you see on Roode is the real armor used in combat for the Shaman ' s and a lot of other warriors in the Old Ways , it long protected their bodies from fatal blows and so it should help yours from the coming threat of the demons . " Zacharai said .

" Makes sense , cause who would really suspect hockey gear to be shaman armor ? " Jay asked .

" No one , " Adam answered .

" Speaking of demons have anyone of you heard anything on Wildcat ? " Raven asked them .

" No not yet , but don ' t suspect , too . If he is deep in the Layers of the Pit , then we can ' t get any message to him or from him . " Zacharai said .

" Right , " Raven said looking at Storm worried .

" He ' ll be okay Raven , remember this is Chris Harris we are talking about . " James said trying to comfort her .

" Of course , " Raven agreed .

" Raven , here you need to hang on to this for now . " Aaron said handing her the Dagger of the Fallen .

" He left the dagger behind ? " Mark asked .

" Yes , Harris felt like it would be to dangerous to take it with him into the Pit . So , he asked me to give it to Raven before he left . But , since the creature was in her head I didn ' t feel like it was safe to give it to her yet and the thing take it back to Lucifer . But , it was terminated and you are free to take the dagger . " Aaron said .

" I will hold onto it and protect it for Chris . " Raven promised .

" Okay , Raven you need some rest . " James said .

Raven went upstairs to the room she had shared previously with Storm and Harris in Salina ' s House . A few minutes later Salina came up to the room .

" Raven , " Salina said .

" Yes , ma ' am ? " Raven asked looking at her .

" Here these are yours from the secluded house . " Salina said handing her the metal she had taken off when Storm extracted the pygmy worm .

" Thank you , " Raven said putting her rings back on the right fingers .

She then looked at both of her lockets . She put the one of her brothers back around her neck and then held the one with the angel on it that Wildcat had given her .

" You okay ? " Salina asked .

" I maybe out of danger with that thing out of my head , but I still have ones that I love to worry about . " Raven said putting the angel locket around her neck .

" And you never thought that I did ? " Salina asked .

" What ? " Raven asked .

" You never thought that the reason I left was because I had people that I loved that I needed to protect from danger ? " Salina asked .

" I had no reason to suspect it , you left without saying anything . You left before I got the chance to know you . Everyday while I was growing up I wanted you there with me , I wanted my mother , but then I had to remember being five years old and you leaving us without a single word . Blake doesn ' t even remember you , he has no memory of his mother , Taylor won ' t even speak of you and neither does daddy . I was left to take your spot in caring for my brothers . I was the one who rocked Blake to sleep at night and chased away the monsters . I was the one who helped dad with the work around the house , helping tend to the shop just so he wouldn ' t kill himself overdoing it . You weren ' t there when your three kids graduated high school or for anything we did . " Raven said .

" No I wasn ' t , but do you think your dad would have wanted me back even after I left ? Do you think it would have been wise for me to bring this mess back to you when you were little ? Raven if you hate me for leaving then thats fine , but don ' t think the reason that I left you , your brothers , and your dad was because I didn ' t love you . I didn ' t want you guys to get hurt . " Salina said .

" How much does dad know about this mess ? " Raven asked curiously .

" None of it , I didn ' t tell you guys for the fear of you being hunted because of what I told you . But , here you are apart of the world I tried to keep you safe from . I never wanted you to be caught up in a war , but this time the war is even worse because demons are involved and if it gets to much out of hand , heaven will intervene and then angels will be thrown into the mix . But , that is only if Sammael and Lucifer emerges . " Salina said .

" Then we won ' t let them emerge . " Storm said walking into the room .

" I ' ve got something for you Cowboy that might be useful in helping to regulate your powers and I also having something that can act as extent of your powers . " Salina said .

" What ? " Storm asked and Raven looked curious .

" Come to my study , both of you . " Salina said . They followed her to the study .

Salina walked behind her desk and pulled out a large pack .

" First thing is this , its a special power amulet . It nullifies your powers as you feel emotions , wear it when you are not in combat , so , you won ' t put yourself in danger . Once you are able to control your powers separate from your emotions then you will no longer need it , but for now its a safety measure . " Salina handing Storm the amulet .

" Thank you , I will wear it . " Storm said putting it around his neck .

" Next , I think you will be able to handle this . " Salina said pulling out a rifle with a scope .

" Yes , I will , but where are the bullets ? " Storm asked .

" Your powers are the bullets , like I have already said the rifle will be an extent of your powers . Like Icebreaker that Roode has , you can charge your powers into the rifle and use your electricity like a bullet . The rifle also has a longer range shot than your pistols . " Salina added .

" Right , " Storm said .

" You might want to get some practice in with those first . " Raven suggested .

" Good idea . Go out back behind the house the targets are already set up , because some of your other friends are interested in target practice and energy training . " Salina said .

" Yes ma ' am and thank you . " Storm said as he and Raven left the house to the back .

" Raven is awake . " Jericho said as he saw them approach .

" Yeah , Jericho , how are you ? " Raven asked .

" I ' m good watching Amy chase Adam and Jay over there . " Jericho said as he , Storm , and Raven turned to look at Amy chasing the two Canadians around the area .

" Why is Amy chasing them ? " Raven asked .

" Because they dumped ice water on her being goofballs . " Jericho said .

" Amy , heel girl . " Jay said only to have Amy jump on top of him as a result .

" Adam help , bitch is gonna kill . " Jay said .

" Uh oh , " Raven said .

" Jay , you are dead . " Matt called to him .

" Matt , do you remember the last person to call Amy a bitch ? " Adam asked .

" Yep , " Matt said .

" Spike Dudley wasn ' t it ? " Jeff asked .

" Yep , " Adam said .

" That wasn ' t the last person . Dolph Ziggler and his bleach blonde hair called her one in the Smackdown locker room a couple of months before I left and he nearly ended up 6 feet under where no one could find him . " Raven said .

" I was there for that . It was funny watching the dumby scream his head off . We are not in liberties to actually discuss what Amy did to him . She made Raven , R - Truth , and myself swear to secrecy . " Jericho said , as Jay came running and hid behind them .

" Jay , you can run but you can ' t hide . " Amy told him .

" I ' m hiding right now , so , back off angry woman . " Jay said using Adam as a shield .

" Get out from behind me , this feels so wrong . " Adam said .

" Adam , mind out of the gutter . Amy chill sweetheart everything will be okay , but you can ' t kill Jay until this demon mess is over with . " Raven said hugging her best friend close to her .

" Fair enough . " Amy said .

Storm looked over at Roode who was throwing ice shards at the targets .

" Since when could you throw ice , Bobby ? " Storm asked .

" Since I completed my task , I woke up more of my powers . So , what is with the rifle and the amulet ? " Roode asked .

" The amulet is to help regulate my powers when I get emotional and the rifle is extra weaponry to kick demon ass . You know just your typical everyday demon hunting tool . " Storm smiled .

" Do you even know how to use your pistols , yet ? " Roode asked .

" Lets find out . " Storm said summoning his pistols to him . He took the amulet off and handed it to Roode to hang onto .

He laid the rifle aside for now and pull one of the pistols out of its holster . He aimed the pistol at one of the wooden targets and charged his electrical powers into the gun as bullets . Finally he pulled the the safety back , then pulled the trigger and the gun shot off an electrical bullet going right through the wood on the target .

" Damn , " Raven said from behind them .

" Has quite the punch to it . Now lets see about the rifle , " Storm said putting the pistol back into its holster .

Storm picked up the rifle and stepped back some from where he shot the pistol . He aimed the rifle using the scope and once again charged his powers . Once the shot lined up with where he wanted it , Storm pulled the trigger back and shot another hole right through the target on the bull ' s eye .

" Nice shot . " Glen said .

" Thanks big guy , I think this rifle is going to work perfectly in our mission . " Storm said .

With that they went inside the house and relaxed for the rest of the day .


	9. Teamwork

Chapter 8 : Teamwork

**The Wilderness **

Chris was finally out of the Pit and with the names and locations of the Twelve Gates into Hell . He had recieved word from a message sent to him by Sunrise that the group had moved out to the Great Smokies and he had sent word back to Zacharai of his complete quest . So , now here he was tracking the movement of his friends while being followed by about twelve demons and more kept coming . He had been fighting them left and right since coming out of the Pit .

" Damn it , I can sense that I am right on top of my friends , but where are they ? " Chris questioned .

Sammael had realized it was him trying to get back through his layer after getting the location of the Twelve Gates . He had not been comfortable walking around Lucifer , but he did the job . While trying to get out he ran into Sammael who realized it was him and the demon ended up with a cut across his right cheek from Elvenking by Chris who then high - tailed it at top speed . Lucky for him the Fourth Gate was now cracked open for him to come through . But , unfortunately the demons where now following him .

" Come on , " Chris prayed for a miracle .

Not to far away the group was riding the horses along a path . They had an extra horse since Wildcat wasn ' t there .

" How far do we have ? " Adam asked .

" Still quite a ways . " Aaron said .

" Can ' t wait to smell that Tennessee air . " Storm said .

Raven stopped in the middle of the path .

" Raven , why are you stopping ? " Mark asked .

" Do you sense that ? " Raven asked .

" What ? " Jay asked .

" Demons are appoaching and lots of them . Twelve at the most . " Aaron said .

" There was a clearing on the other side of these trees with rocky terrain . " Raven said .

" Lets check it out . Storm , tell Thunderbolt to hide himself and the horses . " Aaron ordered .

" Right , " Storm said doing what he was told . Then they went through the trees where the rocky hills were and hid behind the rocks .

" Adam , you have the best eyes . What do you see ? " Jeff asked .

" Twelve demons exactly , but what are they tailing ? Whoa , you guys might want to see this . " Adam said looking at the demons from a distance .

" Is that ? Wildcat , " Raven said .

" What ? " Storm asked summoning his armor to him and pulling his rifle out of its holster . He looked through the scope and saw that it was Harris being tailed by twelve demons .

" Storm , can you get a shot ? " Mark asked .

" Yes , I can , but those that have their powers may want to gear up . " Storm said and they did so .

" Jay , Jericho take Beth and Amy out of here . " Jeff said .

" Right , come on ladies . " Jay said doing as he was told .

" Take your shot Storm . " Glen said .

" Right . " Storm said lining up the sights with the first demon behind Chris . He aimed it carefully and charged his powers .

" Sorry About Your Damn Luck . " Storm said and pulled the trigger back making the electrical bullet go right through the demon in his sights .

" What the hell ? " Chris asked looking back and the demons stopped to looking at the hole through their comrade .

" Now Razor . " Adam called as the Hawk attacked one of the demons taking out his eyes .

" Time to exterminate some more demons . " Roode said standing on one of the rocks and shot ice shards at one of them killing it .

" You guys really didn ' t think we would just let you hurt our friend or run loose in our world ? " Raven asked staring them down .

" Shaman . " A shade stepped up .

" Are all of you shades as stupid as you are ugly ? " Jeff asked .

" Why are you not dead from the pygmy worm ? " The shade asked .

" Oh , that creature is dead . Tell , your boss when you see him to not mess with my head again . " Raven said .

" Where did that shot come from ? " The shade asked again .

" Turn around and you will find . " Storm said from behind the shade . The creature turned around and found himself with a pistol being pointed in the middle of his forehead .

" I wonder , do demons know fear ? " Storm asked .

" No , we don ' t feel any emotions . They represent a weaker species like you . " The shade said .

" Shut up . You and your fellow demons have messed with the innocences of this world for far to long . I had to watch as you messed with once beautiful places and turn them into death . I had to watch as you messed with my friends and your kind has messed with my woman more than once . So , as far as I am concerned , this is as far as you get buckeroo . " Storm said pulling back the safety on the pistol and pulling the trigger . The shade fell to the ground dead and vanished .

" Next , " Raven said as she pulled Molten from its sheath .

" I learned a new trick demons . " Raven said looking at them . She took the Dagger of the Fallen and Molten merging the two together . She held the new sword in her hand and pulled the Guardian Saber out merging it to the other blades .

" What ? " Harris asked .

" Just watch Cat , you ' ve missed quite a bit in your time away . " Roode said changing his armor from the hockey gear to his shaman armor .

" You have new armor . " Wildcat said .

" Yep and a new trick as well . Wolborg , come to my aid . " Roode called . The wolverine came and merged into Roode giving him his extra strength .

" The demons are running . " Matt called .

" They won ' t get far . " Storm said focusing on his emotions increasing his anger and bringing down a fortress of lightning in front of the demons they turned back only to find the fortress enclosed .

" I am stronger than Fort Knox . " Storm said .

" You guys have learned new tricks . " Wildcat said .

" That ain ' t it , Cat . " Roode said , he focused on his ice powers and formed an ice barrier around the demons like glass mirrors .

" Okay Storm you can release the lightning fortress . " Raven said .

" Right , next trick . " Storm focused on a ball of lightning and it formed right in front of Raven .

" Let me add my mix to it . " Raven said sending some of her fire into the ball of lightning . The ball began swirling with fire and lightning .

" Now Raven , " Roode said .

" Right . Demons I wound like to introduce the Destiny Blade . " Raven said pointing the blade at them and then pulling it close to her as she focused on the blade until a red light charged it .

" Batter up , " Storm said .

Raven swung the blade at the ball of lightning and fire and sent it right through the mirrors causing them to shatter into a thousand needles causing them and the mixture of fire and lightning to merge and engulf the demons killing them all at once and making them vanish .

" Whoa . " Harris said .

" Chris , " Raven said hugging him close to her .

" Hey , I ' m okay . " Harris said .

" Yeah , but it didn ' t make me worry any less . " Raven said .

" Raven , before we go into details , how about we get back to the girls , Jericho , and Jay ? " Mark suggested .

" Agreed . " Jeff said .

" And out of the open . " Raven said looking around at the rocky terrain .

" Back to the trees . " Storm said and they made sure no one followed them .

" Jericho , Jay . " Matt called .

" Here , " Jay said coming to them with Jericho , Beth , and Amy .

" You okay ? " Jeff asked Beth .

" Yeah , I ' m fine . " Beth said hugging Jeff .

" Storm , call the horses . " Aaron said .

" Right . " Storm said giving a loud whistle and the horses came to them with Thunderbolt leading .

" Good boy , Thunderbolt . " Storm said rubbing the stallion ' s nose .

" Hey guys there is a stream up ahead . " Jericho said .

" How do you know that ? " Adam asked .

" Because that is the direction we headed in . " Jay said walking ahead to lead the way .

" Good job Jericho and Captain Chrisma , lead on Jay . " Roode said .

They soon came to the stream and saw a nice clear spot for them to rest up from the fight with the demons .

" So , what is the story on all of the new tricks ? " Harris asked .

" I think you should go first since you were being tailed by a dozen demons . " Amy said .

" I completed the task that I needed to get done in the Pit . I know every gate and where they are located on Earth . But , there is a problem , we are not stronge enough yet to even think about taking on the Twelve Gates yet . Now as far as the demons following me . I upset one of the Twelve Princes , again . I had just gotten through marking the Twelfth Gate down and made it back pass Lucifer to the Eleventh Layer of Hell when I ran into Sammael . We stared at each other for a moment shocked that we had come face to face with each other again . Then he called me a fugitive , said that God was in the wrong for not letting me stay in the Pit and giving me a peaceful afterlife . He said that he was furious with God for taking me away from his own layer . " Harris said looking at the ground .

" Why would you be in his layer ? " Storm asked .

" Because when I stabbed myself with the Dagger of the Fallen to sacrifice myself and send Asmodai back to the Pit . Sammael saw that as suicide and suicide is the act of not letting God handle your problems . It is one of the ulitmate sins , but not as bad as pride . But , when I was called to complete the task in locking the Twelve Gates , Michael came to me and said that what I did was a noble deed . Sacrificing myself for the greater good and love for those close to me . I sacrificed myself in the name of love , not grief and despair . I cut Sammael down in the Pit with Elvenking and that is the reason he sent the demons after me . " Harris said a tear fell from his eyes .

" Chris , " Raven said putting her arms around him again .

" I ' m okay Angel and so are you I see . I know what you had to do Storm in order to get that thing out of Raven ' s mind . Thank you , I don ' t think I could have gone through with doing it . " Harris said looking at the Cowboy .

" It was hard , but thanks to Raven ' s strength and belief in me , and my own not wanting her hurting because of that creature . I did what I had to for my family . " Storm said .

" I made up with Salina . " Raven said to Chris .

" Really ? " Harris asked .

" We may not be at the point where we can call each other mother and daughter , but I definitely understand now why she left . I also know that the illness won ' t effect me , my brothers , or my children in the future . " Raven said .

" Thats good news . " Harris said .

" And I have been learning to control my emotions in order to control my powers . " James said .

" Roode complete his task and got his full ice powers . " Jay looked at the It Factor .

" Yes , and I also learned that the temple in which I got my powers is the place where Wolborg ' s ancestors gave birth to their children and where future generations of the Ice Guardians are still being born . Wolborg has a mate and two cubs . " Roode said .

" So , we all have been busy . " Harris said .

" And now we are making our way to the Smoky Mountains to locate where Storm ' s shaman powers are hidden in the Mountain of Smoke and Mist . " Adam said .

" Right , the Land of the Legendary Rider of the South . " Storm agreed . Thunderbolt nuzzled his neck .

" Land of the Horse Lords , too , Thunderbolt just informed me . " Storm said looking at the beautiful stallion .

" Well , I guess we should get some rest before we continue on our journey . " Raven said .

" Sounds good , but I ' m hungry . " Jay said .

" You and your damn stomach . " Jericho said .

" Hey , I am not made out of metal or straw , I need food to survive . " Jay glared at Jericho .

" Boys be nice , I don ' t want to have to separate you two . " Adam said .

" Good Lord , that sounded like my dad when my brothers would get to arguing . Of course something would follow soon after that . And never let siblings get into a fist fight either . Dad would let us finish it and then we would get it . " Raven said .

" I thought my mom was the only one who did that . " Storm said .

" My dad did too , but there wasn ' t many times we actually got into a fist fight . Matt and I often exchanged words , but that was about it . " Jeff said .

" And usually it was away from dad when we did have disagreements . " Matt added .

" Harris , what are you doing with the switch ? " Storm asked making them turn to look at the Wildcat .

" Its not what you think guys , besides Taker is the oldest . So , I will let him handle that if it comes up . " Harris said .

" Thanks for the parenting job . " Mark said .

" I thought we were going to let the Cowboy deal with that stuff seeing as he has a belt and the whip . " Raven said .

" Leave the whip out of it . " Adam said .

" Just the belt then , " Raven agreed .

" What are you doing with the stick then ? " Storm asked again .

" Going fishing , Jay said he was hungry and there is a stream right next to us . " Harris said .

" What are you going to use for fishing line ? " Glen asked curiously .

" Good question . " Harris thought .

" Here try this . " Jeff handed him string out of his bag .

" What is this ? " Harris looked at it .

" Guitar strings , don ' t really need it for picking , but it just as strong as fishing line . So , maybe it will help . " Jeff said .

" To bad EY ' s not here , he would be able to provide you with all of the fishing supplies that you need , Cat . Lord , I miss the Impact Zone , I miss my friends , I miss my wife and kids . " Roode said .

" I know you do , but its better for everyone we love if we are not close to them right now . Demons are tracking and trying to hurt us . So , we don ' t need anyone of our loved ones getting hurt , because we failed to keep the danger from them . " Raven said .

" Any one got a hook or something metal ? " Harris asked .

" I actually do have a hook on one of my hats . " Storm said getting a hook from one of his ball caps out of his bag .

" Okay , bait ? " Harris asked .

" To bad we didn ' t keep that pygmy worm , that could ' ve worked if Storm hadn ' t fried him . " Raven said .

" Ha ha , very funny . " Harris said .

" Forget about worms , what about crickets ? " Adam said pointing to them .

" Right , catch the crickets . How do you suppose we do that ? " Jericho asked Adam .

" Watch and learn young grasshopper . Razor , do you mind ? " Adam asked the hawk .

Few minutes later Chris had a supply of crickets .

" Thank you , " Harris said and he fixed the fishing pole .

" Harris , do you even know how to fish ? " Amy asked .

" All cats know how to fish and the Wildcat is no different . " Harris answered .

" Fair enough . " Amy said .

**Few Minutes Later **

" Well it only took the Wildcat like forever to catch fish , but at least there is enough for everyone . " Jay said .

" Hey , you fish next time . " Harris said .

They ate the fish and got ready for the nights rest in the wilderness . Storm , Harris , and Raven was up talking , because Raven insisted on doing first watch tonight with Jeff taking over half way through the night .

" Wildcat , doesn ' t have to eat or sleep again ? " Storm asked .

" Not at this time , Cowboy . " Harris said .

" Chris , how long are you here for after the Gates are closed ? " Raven asked .

" Not sure , why do you ask ? " Harris asked curiously .

" Because , Raven and I was wondering if there was anyway you could possibly be at our wedding ? " Storm asked .

" You two want me at your wedding ? " Harris asked .

" Yes , I want my Guardian Angel there . " Raven said .

" And I would like to have my AMW brother as my best man . " Storm said . Harris looked at him and then at Raven .

" I don ' t know how this will work , but I will do it if I can . " Harris agreed .

" Thank you . " Raven said .

" Of course , Angel . " Harris smiled .

" You know its odd to talk about a wedding with all of this demon stuff going on . " Storm said .

" Love finds away even in the darkest places . " Raven said .

" Yeah , it does and when you least expect it . " Harris added .

" Storm , are you ready for whatever awaits you when we get to the Land of the Horse Lords ? " Raven asked looking at the Cowboy .

" Ready as I ' ll ever be without knowing what I am going to face . " Storm yawned .

" Maybe you should study that book Salina gave us ? " Raven questioned .

" Good idea . " Storm said .

" But , only after you get some sleep . " Raven ordered .

" Yes , ma ' am . " Storm said going to his sleeping bag .

" Hmm , he does listen to you . " Harris joked .

" He listens a lot better than you use to with your sarcastic remarks , Wildcat . " Raven said .

" Yeah , but I remember you use to laugh at my sarcastic remarks , too , enabler . " Wildcat laughed .

" I did a lot of things different back then . I use to laugh more and be carefree , now I feel like I laugh less and have become very cautious in what I do . " Raven said .

" I wish some of the things had never happened to you or that you were never dragged into all of this mess . But , at the same time I am grateful for what you did for me and what you are trying to do for the innocents around you . You saw through Asmodai ' s hold on me and gave me a few moments of freedom that I desperately needed and it gave me time to make amends not just with you , but also with Storm . It also helped me make amends with God , so , I can be at peace when all of this is over . " Harris said .

" I ' m glad you are at peace even with all the problems going on right now , it keeps me calm and gives me hope . It also keeps them from doubting our efforts to close the Gates . " Raven said looking at the others asleep .

" A positive attitude can make a big difference in keep people from doubting and being fearful even in the worse situations . " Harris said to her .

" I hate to ask this , but do you know how many of the Gates have open down in the Pit ? " Raven asked curiously .

" Three have opened completely which is Lilith , Leviathan , and Asmodai ' s layer . When I first started going down into the Pit the locks on the Fourth Gate was still filling up with mine and Asmodai ' s mixed blood . When I started out after Sammael sent some of the lower demons after me the door to Fourth Gate was opened just enough for me to go through to come out of the Pit , but it wasn ' t fully opened yet . " Harris said .

" You said the Fourth Layer belongs Molloch ? " Raven asked as Jeff came walking up to them .

" Yes , I did . " Harris answered .

" Four demons out of the Pit does not provide much comfort . I wonder who he will possess or if he has to ? Molloch is different from most demons , because of originally being identified as just a thought form . " Raven question .

" We are talking about more demons ? " Jeff asked sitting next to Raven .

" Yes , I ' m trying to figure out how much time we have and what we are having to deal with when each new Gate opens . " Raven informed Jeff .

" I think Molloch will have to possess someone , because of him not liking sunlight and trying to blend into his surroundings . Remember he likes darkness , reason the shades like being around him more than Baliel . Oh and I found out something else about Molloch and Asmodai . " Harris said .

" What else did you find out besides both of them are evil bastards ? " Jeff asked .

" That their layers in Hell is literally touching each other . Most of the layers in Hell you have to climb down a particular path to get to the layers further down , but you can literally walk right off of Asmodai ' s layer in Hell and step onto Molloch ' s layer . Their Gates are also parallel to each other . " Harris said .

" Well with the way that Asmodai talked in my house that night maded me realize that maybe Molloch was the only one that Asmodai really got along with down in the Pit . Because , I know from the sound of his talk that he didn ' t seem to fond of the rest of his fellow Fallen Angel . " Raven said .

" Then why did he go along with them ? " Jeff asked .

" Freedom , Asmodai wouldn ' t have had the chance to spread his lust if he hadn ' t went along with Lucifer and the others . Asmodai is evil , there is no mistake in that fact . But , the sin he represents is one that has affect millions and not just in our generation . Even in biblical times there was lust , a lot of the Roman Emperors would take in prostitutes for their own pleasures of the flesh which is lust . So , it is easy for me to see why he is very influential . " Raven said .

" Evil is such a bad thing to call someone as loving as me . " Said a seductive voice behind them .

" Asmodai , " Harris glared at him .

" Guys , wake up . " Jeff called to them . All of them shot up and saw Asmodai .

" Oh no , he ' s back . Dude , demon , fallen angel , whatever you care to call yourself can ' t you and your fellow creatures at least let us sleep in peace ? " Jay said frustrated at being woke up .

" Somebody is grumpy and here I was thinking I could check in with my favorite humans and see what all the fuss is about down in the Pit . Someone , went down and pissed off Sammael and I overheard Lilith saying that it was my favorite Cat . So , I came to see if the rumors are true . " Asmodai looked at Chris .

" Yes , I pissed off Sammael , along time ago thanks to you . If you had never invaded my body without my permission then I wouldn ' t have had to sacrifice myself and I would have never met Sammael . " Harris clenched his teeth .

" Everybody is so angry to day . You know I just saw snake boy and he was vivid , so , I think everyone needs to take a chill pill and maybe do a group hug or something to calm this negativity . But , as for me I have been doing positive work . New Orleans is open for business and in the name of my brother Lucifer , Molloch will be joining me soon . Its nice and dark for the little guy . So , I also came to announce that the band is getting back together again oh good time . The games are about to begin . " Asmodai said like a kid with candy .

" You think that causing innocent people to sin is a game . What a twisted , sick fuck you are ? " Jericho said .

" Narcissist , is more like it . " Matt said .

" Whoa , okay so you ' re not interested , but I thought you might want to know that the Harpies are back and they are not very happy with either side right now . It seems this magic stuff has disturbed their sleep and they are being nasty to quite a lot of people and not just the demons . " Asmodai said holding his hands up .

" What ? I thought they all died out . " Aaron said .

" More like hibernating , ssseemsss like no one can keep hisss mouth ssshut anymore around here . Not even one of the Twelve Princccessss , Asssmodai what are you thinking I ssaid I would handle it you fool . " Leviathan said emerging out of thin air .

" Hey , go slither somewhere else and please tell me you didn ' t bring the children with daddy dearest . Snakes are so stupid you can ' t reason with them . " Asmodai said frustrated .

" Ssshut up , impsss . " Leviathan called .

" You did bring them . " Asmodai said flinching as one came near him .

" Shit , not them again . " Storm said .

" Hey Storm , can you make it rain ? " Roode whispered to him .

" Yeah , how hard do you want it ? " Storm asked .

" Hard enough that I can use my freezing powers to cause it to ice these imps over and make them shatter . " Roode answered .

" We can try it . " Storm said as he removed the amulet and focused on the sadness in him . He soon had the rain coming down where it was blinding to the demons , except for Leviathan and Asmodai who looked around ,

" I don ' t remember rain in any weather report . " Asmodai said as he started feeling the temperature drop .

" It ' ssss thossse ssshamansss . " Leviathan and Asmodai both looked at the shamans .

" They have gotten stronger since the last time I saw them . Where ever they were when my radar went crazy must have provided them with extra power . " Asmodai looked at the shamans feeling them carefully .

" Thisss isss not good , there are only few demonsss that can ssstand the cold like thisss . Asssmodai are you feeling thisss ? " Leviathan asked .

" Yes I do , but its not affect me like it is you and its not affect you like its affecting your offspring . Lilith might be pissed if you let them get killed , you know how mother bears react when her cubs are threatened or hurt . " Asmodai said just as they froze solid .

" To late , now what ? " Leviathan asked .

" Strike a match . " Asmodai suggested .

" Or watch them get smashed into a million pieces . " Roode said creating ice shards and sending them into the frozen imps which caused them to shatter .

" Ahh , ssshit . " Leviathan said .

" Do you kisss Lilith with that mouth ? " Asmodai asked .

" Ssshut up . " Leviathan cursed at Asmodai .

" Don ' t get upset at me because your plan didn ' t work and got your own kids looking like a jigsaw puzzle . " Asmodai glared at Leviathan .

" Leviathan chill out , your anger is disrupting the flow of depressing matters . Asmodai my brother it has been awhile . " Molloch arrived in a full demon form .

" You don ' t need a human host ? " Raven asked .

" No , I don ' t , you must be Raven . You were the one awhile back sending me depressing signals of sadness and extreme dispair . " Molloch droned in a sort of sad and not caring matter . His face was powder white and his clothes were dark black like a druid .

" You are Molloch ? " Harris asked .

" Yes , we didn ' t have the pleasure of meeting when you were Asmodai ' s host . But , I did feel you exit through my Gate not to long ago . I don ' t mind really , but I wished you would have asked or dropped by my place . Visitors are always nice this time of year , but you were in hurry after what happened with Sammael . You really should be more careful , didn ' t you teach him anything , Asmodai ? " Molloch looked at his brother .

" He wouldn ' t listen , cats are like that you know . They have these big pointy ears that supposedly can hear anything , but they don ' t really work . " Asmodai smiled .

" I am getting really tired of thisss , you know what we have harpiesss to deal with . Ssso , I am going to deal with it and leave you too idiotsss with thossse plague ridden ratsss . " Leviathan swore again before leaving .

" He really is dreadful . " Molloch said .

" I don ' t think Lilith or those kids of theirs are hugging him enough . " Asmodai thought .

" Well , lets go . We really must get rid of those pesky Harpies before big brother gets angry . " Molloch said walking off .

" Then we can talk about New Orleans brother . I found a really nice and dark place for you down there that I could hook you up with . The ladies love me and all I have to do is flash a smile . " Asmodai said following Molloch .

" That was strange and creepy all at the same time . " Adam said .

" Everyone pack up your gear . " Raven said .

" What ? Why ? It still dark out . " Amy questioned .

" Yes , it is , but with the demons knowing our location and harpies abroad we need to move quickly to the next safe haven . Harpies don ' t hunt at night , they are part birds meaning they have to go to roost at night . Now pack up , we move soon as possible . Storm call Thunderbolt and the other horses . " Raven said .

" Right . " Storm said whistling for the horses . Soon everyone was packed and on the move again through the cover of the trees .

" We need light ahead . " Jay said .

" I ' ve got it . " Harris said . He said an incantation and light followed in front of them .

" How did you do that ? " Roode asked .

" I learned it from the book Zacharai gave me . " Harris said .

" Lets just hope nothing else can see it . " Raven said .

" None can see this magic , but the Shamans and the one that summoned it . " Aaron said .

" An advantage for us . " Storm said . They were moving at the fastest rate they could with everyone on horseback .


	10. Thralls

Chapter 9 : Thralls

**Tennessee Boarder **

After much movement and staying out of plan sight while the sun was out , the shamans finally made it to the Kentucky / Tennessee boarder .

" Good - bye my home , maybe I will get to walk in your land before I go back to the other side . If not thank you for the years of memories and growth you have given me and may God protect you until the end of times . " Harris said looking back at his home state .

" We must look ahead Wildcat . " Raven said .

" I know , " Harris said .

" Hello Tennessee , the Cowboy has returned . " Storm said .

" We are in the northwest of the state , so we need to turn to the southeast . " Aaron said .

" Which will bring us to the Great Smokies . Then we will figure out our direction once we reach the mountain range . " Raven said .

" Storm , none of your home state people are violent are they ? " Jericho asked .

" According what type of people you run into . Some of them are hospitable like me , others like some of the mountain men , rougher rednecks , and hillbillies are not the same story . Some of them don ' t take to kindly on trespassing or strangers . So , we do need to be careful . " Storm informed them .

" If we run into any , we will just let the Cowboy handle it . " Jay suggested .

" No , he won ' t . " Raven glared at Jay .

" Why not ? " Jay asked .

" Because , I won ' t let any wild , mountain men mess with my Cowboy . " Raven said .

" She ' s going to protect you Cowboy . " Adam whispered to Storm .

" Yep , I am in good hands . " Storm agreed .

" Lets go . " Mark said .

It took them two and half days to reach the Smokies after passing over the Tennessee boarder . They stopped once they reached the river for a break and to let the horses rest and drink from the river .

" We are now in the Land of the Horse Lords , this land has long been protected by the Legendary Rider of the South . Some of the people have told myths that it was the First Rider and Windchaser who caused the misty and foggy look to the mountain range . " Aaron said .

" Why ? " Storm asked curious .

" He believed that the fog would protect and hide the path to the entrance into the Land of the Stallion Shamans . He didn ' t want anyone messing with the purity of Thunder Mountain and to this day it is still protected from those who would taint the land and destroy its natural habitat . " Aaron said .

" It is a national park , which is protected by park rangers . " Raven said .

" Some of the park rangers are in fact undercover agents from Thunder Mountain , they keep unwanted guest away from some of the places hidden in the fog . Some of the roads you can ' t travel on here and the ones who monitor that is the park rangers that have been given the task to protect the land . " Aaron said .

" Do they know we are coming ? " Storm asked .

" Yes , they do . " Aaron said .

_" Only with the Eyes of the Stallion will you see the path before you , Rider of the South . " _said a voice where only Storm could hear . It sounded almost like a whisper .

" Did you guys hear that ? " Storm asked looking around .

" What ? " Matt asked .

" That whispering voice . " Storm said .

" Didn ' t here anything , James . " Roode said .

_" They can ' t hear me like you can . We are connected because of our ability to see and listen to the voices of the weather . Your spirit is wild and untamed like that of your stallion partner , Thunderbolt . Just like I am an untamed and wild spirit , similar to that of my oldest and dearest friend , Windchaser . " _The voice spoke to Storm again .

" Aaron , I think I am hearing the voice of the First Rider of the South . He mentioned Windchaser . " Storm looked at Aaron .

" You are hearing a ghost ? " Harris asked .

" I am not a ghost . " A man dressed in buckskin pants and longcoat walked up to him . He carried a colt pistol by his side and had a cowboy hat on his head .

" Who are you ? " Glen asked .

" Easy Dragon shaman , I am not an enemy or a ghost , I am the spirit of the First Rider of the South , the First Stallion Shaman . I have come to lead the newest shaman to the door into the heart of the mountain , for it is well hidden from normal sight . The fog is a great way to keep something hidden from those who would seek to destroy that which we here in the mountains call home . " The Rider spoke .

" You are the Rider of the South ? " Storm asked looking at the man .

" Yes , I am . " The Rider spoke and looked at one of the hills in front of them . A grey - stallion well into his years came to the man , he had a haunted look and his eyes where a deep , black .

" Windchaser ? " Aaron looked at the stallion .

" Yes , my loyal and most trusted friend . " The Rider looked at the stallion .

Thunderbolt was watching this new horse for a while . He wasn ' t sure he liked this new addition to the group he was suppose to be leading or the fact that this intruder was a ghost . He crept closer to Windchaser and sniffed at him , then backed up again to keep him in eye sight .

" Thunderbolt ? " Storm looked at the black horse .

" I see Thunderbolt doesn ' t like his forefunner . Of course seeing as he is suppose to be the Horse Lord , I would think that a new addition isn ' t to his liking . " The Rider looked at the young horse .

Thunderbolt looked at the Rider with fire in his eyes , he didn ' t like this newcomer knowing everything about him and that horse didn ' t smell like a horse . Infact he small like a Thrall . Thralls could hide their identity and make humans see them as real horses . They could also shape their riders , which are nothing more than corpses , to look like living , breathing people .

" Thunderbolt , whats wrong boy ? " Storm asked the stallion , he knew that his eyes had some anger in them .

" Thunderbolt , you are being stubborn . " Aaron looked at the horse , who looked at him and snorted .

Thunderbolt looked at the Rider and sniffed him to make sure , he could smell death . He then looked at the water of the flowing river and moved to it . He knew that Thralls showed their true identity when touched by water , but he need help from a winged friend . Thunderbolt whinnied as loud as he could .

" Thunderbolt , " Storm and Aaron both looked at him and then saw Pegasus land .

" Pegasus ? Why did he call Pegasus ? " Jay looked at the winged - horse and then at Storm and Aaron .

" No clue , " Aaron looked at them .

" Thunderbolt , what are you doing ? " Storm asked looking at the stallion and Pegasus suspiciously , but at the moment the two seemed to be having their own discussion .

Thunderbolt looked over at the Thrall version of Windchaser and looked at Pegasus who sniffed both the Thrall and its Rider , he sneezed not liking the smell of death coming from the Rider . The two horses looked at each other and nodded like they had come up with a conclusion . Pegasus rose into the air and looked at the river . Thunderbolt moved so that the Thrall was inbetween him and the river .

" What are those two planning ? " Raven asked .

" No clue , but they ' re not involving us . " Matt said .

" Beth , Amy , back up . " Jeff looked at the girls who did as they were told .

" Thunderbolt ? " Storm looked at the stallion .

" Pegasus ? " Jay looked at the winged - horse .

Thunderbolt dipped his head down and began pawing at the ground . Then without warning he ran right at the Thrall , rushing him into the river where Pegasus was waiting for them . Pegasus , began flapping his wings at top speed as Thunderbolt moved back to land , shaking off the water and looking at the evil creature now in plain sight . The thrall ' s true identity is that of a black , decaying horse that had most of its skeletal system showing without any skin covering the exposed bones .

" Thats not Windchaser , its a Thrall . Which would mean that rider is a corpse . " Harris looked at the rider being revealed . He was deformed and you could see parts of his bones , organs , and tissue on his body .

" Ugh , " Beth said looking at it .

The corpse screeched loud and jumped on Thunderbolt ' s back , who reared and ran the thing right into the water , dropped on his back and rolled over on top of the corpse . Thunderbolt then got back on his feet and stepped back onto the land . He shook the water off again and snorted in the direction of the corpse .

Meanwhile Pegasus was having his own battle with the Thrall who was revealed to have wings once his true image was shown by the water . They were in the air fighting it out with much kicking , biting , and snorting . The Thrall was faster , he got behind Pegasus and charged at him pushing him fast straight to the ground .

Thunderbolt saw and heard what was going on . He and Pegasus had already figured out the plan ahead of time . So , as Pegasus being pushed by the Thrall headed for the ground , just before they reached the ground Pegasus moved at a split second where Thunderbolt was waiting and kicked the mess out of the Thrall . The skeleton horse landed on the ground with a thud and laid there for a few minutes . Pegasus landed gently on the ground beside Thunderbolt , who was looking at the Thrall and crept to him sniffing to make sure it was dead or not getting up . He then turned back to Pegasus looking at him to make sure his companion was okay , but as he turned his back on the Thrall it kicked him right in the left flank leaving a huge , gash wound . Thunderbolt flinched for a moment and then looked at the Thrall with anger and purpose . He rushed right at the Thrall pushing him into the raging river and gave him a headbutt to make him go down , but the Thrall pushed back . But , as he pushed Thunderbolt almost into the wall of the mountains Pegasus charged him from the side knocking the evil horse onto the ground . Thunderbolt once again came to the Thrall and this time kicked it both in the gut and in the head for good measures which cracked the things shull open , killing it . Thunderbolt and Pegasus both snorted at the Thrall and Corpse Rider .

" Well , those two seem to be satisfied . " Adam said .

" Shit , Thunderbolt and Pegasus can fight . " Roode looked at the Thrall and Corpse .

" All animals can , its just a matter of what the situation is and why they are fighting . " Aaron said looking at the two .

" Thunderbolt , " Storm said putting a hand where the gash was , Thunderbolt flinched and Storm noticed it was bleeding .

" Storm ? " Jay looked at the Cowboy .

" Aaron , Thunderbolt has a gash on him . " Storm looked at Aaron . Aaron came to Storm and Thunderbolt looking at the gash .

" I will take care of it , but Pegasus is going to have to get that corpse out of the water before it pollutes the river . " Aaron looked at Pegasus who was thinking the same thing . In a pure matter of minutes Pegasus pulled the corpse out of the river and put him on top of his steed .

" Now what Aaron ? " Jay asked .

" Burn them both or they will come back to life . " Aaron said .

" I ' ve got this one . " Raven said focusing on her hands until she had a fire orb and allowed it to ignite the Thrall and Corpse Rider . Soon they were nothing but ashes left of both foes

" The rain will take care of the rest . " Aaron said .

" I can provide that . " Storm said focusing on the sadness with in him and letting the rain pour down it was a light rain that washed out the fire and ashes . Soon , Storm let up and the rain let up .

" Okay lets get Thunderbolt back to the clearing and we can deal with his wounds . " Aaron said .

" Right , come on partner . " Storm said leading him to the clearing , the others followed .

" Alright , Storm , can you coax him to lay down ? " Aaron asked .

" I can try . Thunderbolt come on , lay down partner . " Storm trying to get him to lay on the side that wasn ' t injured and he finally got him down .

" Lets take the saddle and blanket off of him . " Raven said .

" Right , " Storm said unhooking the saddle , pulling both it and the saddle blanket off and then tacking the bit out of his mouth and removing the bridle .

" Alright , let see what we have . Easy Thunderbolt , easy boy , " Aaron soothed him . He began checking the wound before doing anything that might hurt the stallion .

" Aaron ? " Storm was on the other side of Thunderbolt rubbing his neck to keep him calm . Raven came to them to help out , she could see the worry in Storm ' s face and she couldn ' t let him deal with it on his own .

" He ' ll be okay . I ' m going to have to clean and cauterize the wound , because stitches are going to rub open with a saddle on him and we don ' t have enough time to let him heal that way . This will heal the tissue and skin quicker , but its not exactly a pleasant way to close a wound . " Aaron said .

" Isn ' t cauterizing where you burn the tissues of the wound to close it ? " Raven asked Aaron .

" Yes , it is . So , you have heard of it . " Aaron looked at Raven .

" Yes , daddy did it to some of the cattle we had whenever they got cut up in the pastures . It was cheaper and a lot quicker than calling a vet . " Raven said .

" Hold on you are going to burn his wound close . I don ' t think I like the sound of that Aaron . " Storm looked at Aaron .

" James , its not as bad as you think and it maybe the only way to prevent further damage . Trust me I know you don ' t want to hear it , because I wouldn ' t . But , you got to do what you can with what you have and right now we are out in the middle of the wilderness without help from a vet or anesthetic . So , we have to do this here and now . " Raven tried to reason with Storm .

" I don ' t want to hurt him . " Storm looked at Raven .

" I know , but we have no other option . The Gates are not going to wait on his wounds to heal in the nice way that you want it , too . " Aaron said .

" Fine , we do it your way . But , he is going to fight us through it . " Storm gave into reasoning .

" I might have a solution . " Raven said .

" What ? " Storm and Aaron both looked at her .

" First lets clean the wound , then I will show you what I have planned . " Raven looked at them .

" Fine , but we need to heat water to clean the wound out . " Aaron said .

" We can get water from the river . " Raven said .

" Good idea , Wildcat . " Storm called to Harris .

" Yes , Storm ? " Harris asked .

" Would you take one of the pails to the river and get water ? " Raven asked .

" Yeah , of course . " Harris answered picking up one of the pails and coming back from the river with water .

" Okay set it under the campfire for now and let it heat a little . " Aaron said .

They waited for the water to heat .

" Okay , Harris bring the heated water over here . " Aaron said .

" Right , " Harris did as he was asked . Raven pulled a washcloth from her bag and dipped it into the warm water .

" Easy boy , easy Thunderbolt , no one is going to hurt you . " Storm whispered soothingly to the stallion .

Raven began washing the wound on Thunderbolt ' s side out . She cleaned all of the blood off . He whinnied and screamed with the touch of the warm water on his wound .

" Whoa boy , " Storm rubbed his neck .

" Alright , his wounds are clean . " Raven said and sitting the washcloth and warm water to the side . She looked in her bag pulling out long pieces of cloth .

" What are those for ? " Harris asked he was still there trying to assist .

" Blindfolding him . " Raven said coming back to them .

" Why are you going to blindfold Thunderbolt ? " Storm asked . Aaron was also curious about this idea .

" Its a trick I learned from dealing with horses and livestock on my dad ' s farm . Sometimes when you need to handle an animal of any kind for any given reason and the animal maybe startled , aggressive or resistant , you can blindfold the animal to keep them calm . It works for all kinds of animals , you can even use it for crocs and gators . Some humans even calm down when you give them a dark and quiet spot to cool off and sometimes that dark and quiet spot isn ' t available , so , you use a blindfold to help . " Raven explained while putting the clothes around Thunderbolt ' s eyes making sure he couldn ' t see anything .

" Okay , lets heal the wound . Raven , heat one of your knives over the fire to heat the blade , preferably one that is flat . " Aaron said .

" Alright . " Raven said pulling one of her knives out of the belt along her chest and heating it in the fire . She then handed it to Aaron .

" Hold him . " Aaron said Raven , Storm , and Harris nodded and held Thunderbolt down so Aaron could deal with his wound .

" Okay , Thunderbolt , don ' t kick me boy . " Aaron whispered in his ear . He took the knife and pressed the blade to the stallion ' s wound . When Thunderbolt felt the hot blade he let out an ear piercing shrill of pain .

" Easy Thunderbolt . " Storm whispered to him , but he started to thrash .

" Aaron let up . " Raven said and he did so .

" Raven , we have to finish . " Aaron said .

" I know , but we don ' t need all of us getting hurt . James , let me by his head . I think I might be able to keep him calm . " Raven looked at Storm .

" Alright , " Storm said trusting her . They swapped sides where Raven was close to Thunderbolt ' s head and eyes .

" Aaron , go ahead . " Raven said .

" Right , " Aaron agreed and started cauterizing the wound again . Thunderbolt once again began to shrill and thrash , but stopped when he heard singing in his ear . Raven was singing the song that Harris had sung to her years ago and the song she used to keep the Cowboy calm when Aaron was patching him up after the imp attack .

Harris and Storm both heard the soft singing , even though the words were only where Thunderbolt could hear them , they both knew what she was singing to the horse . They both looked at each other and smiled knowing where that song had come from . Harris was fighting back the tears because of how much the song he used to sing to Raven had touched her where she was now using it to help both Storm and Thunderbolt . Storm was touched by how much she was using a gift from his best friend to help both him and Thunderbolt .

" Alright , I am through , the wound is closed . " Aaron said . Raven let up with the singing and rubbed the strong horse ' s neck .

" Good boy , Thunderbolt . " Raven said to the horse while tacking the blindfolds off of his eyes .

" Bobby , come here for a minute . " Aaron said .

" Yes , " Roode said coming to them .

" How much can you regulate your ice powers ? " Aaron asked .

" Very well , now . Why ? " Roode asked .

" Because , I need a little bit of cold to cool the wound so fever won ' t set into it . " Aaron said .

" Right , " Roode focused on his ice powers and then lowered the level .

" You didn ' t say anything about fever . " Storm said .

" This is a normal part of cauterizing a wound . Its a lot like pouring water on metal when welding to cool it off . " Raven explained .

" Okay , " Storm said .

" Alright now what ? " Roode asked .

" Rub your finger over Thunderbolts wound to seal it and cool it off . " Aaron said .

" Sure , " Roode said doing as he was told , soon the wound was taken care of and done with .

" Alright , Storm , let him up . " Aaron said .

" Come on Thunderbolt time to get up . " Storm coaxed and helped him to his feet where he shook the dirt and dust off of himself .

" So , what do we do now ? " Jay asked .

" Well the sun is going down and I don ' t want to hike up a mountain without enough light to see where we are going . Someone could mistake a drop - off for a safe passage and we don ' t need that , so , lets make camp . " Raven said .

" Sounds good to me , we all could use the rest , especially Thunderbolt and Pegasus after fighting the thrall and corpse . " Aaron agreed .

They set up camp for the night and settle down .

" How about some fish for supper ? " Adam looked at the river .

" Are we allowed to in a national landmark ? " Jericho asked .

" We are as long as we don ' t over catch . " Storm said . They fished for hours it seemed like until they caught enough fish .

" Where is EY when you need him ? " Roode asked when they had gotten through fishing .

" I hear you , he likes to fish more than this here Cowboy . " James said .

" Talking in third person now ? " Matt asked .

" Just for a moment . " Storm smiled .

" My amazing Cowboy is so clever . " Raven whispered to Amy and Beth who giggled .

" Achoo , " Storm sneezed .

" Somebody talking good about you again ? " Harris asked .

" Yep , and I already know who it is . Darlin you are going make me have a sneezing fit with your good words about me . " Storm winked at her .

" But , I can ' t help it . There is just so much to say . " Raven said innocently .

" You know I saw a shack a while back on the trail . Do you guys want me to walk you back and guard the door from snoopers ? " Roode offered .

" Nope , " Storm answered .

" We don ' t need a shack or a fancy house to satisfy those needs . " Raven looked at Storm who smirked at the idea .

" What ? " Harris looked at both of them for a moment thinking about what they were both hinting at and went to the river to cool his flash of anger off .

" Wildcat , " Raven and Storm both looked at each other and then him .

" What was that about ? " Storm asked looking back at Raven .

" No clue , but I think I upset him by the way I was talking . I need to go check on Harris . " Raven said getting up and following Wildcat to the river .

" Calm yourself Cat there isn ' t anything for you to be angry at , its no longer in your control or your choice to have her . " Chris whispered to himself .

" Chris , " Raven called to Harris as she walked up to him . He turned to look at her and then looked back at the river .

" Chris , you okay ? I didn ' t mean for what I said back there to hurt you . " Raven said looking at him cautiously .

" No , I shouldn ' t have got upset . They were just words and you were joking weren ' t you ? You and Storm haven ' t have you ? " Chris asked her .

" Uhm , we have , before the creature was removed from my head . " Raven said telling him the truth . She wasn ' t up for lying and especially to Harris .

Chris looked at her for a moment almost surprised and in shock of what she said .

" What ? Why ? How come I am just finding out about this now ? " Harris asked her .

" Because I haven ' t had much time to think about it or talk between then and now . Chris , I didn ' t mean for any of this to hurt you . Storm and I both were needing it , I was emotional from the situation , Storm was emotional with what he was having to do about that pygmy worm , so we ended up dealing with our emotions the best way we could . Please , don ' t be angry with me or Storm . " Raven said putting her head against his chest .

" I - I don ' t know what to think . " Harris said .

" Chris , please don ' t do whatever you are thinking about , don ' t leave . I couldn ' t stand it if you were to leave now . " Raven began to cry the tears rolling down here face onto Chris ' s shirt .

" Why not ? Its not like you need me anymore . " Chris questioned .

" I ' ve always need you , but you said it yourself there are somethings you can ' t give me now and Storm can . But , I still need you here beside me . I still need your guidance and words to help me get through the issues right now . Please don ' t leave us . I know I don ' t have a choice when the Gates are closed , just like I never had a choice about anything that has happened between me and you . But , I have a choice now and that is the one where I want you to stay with me until the end of this demon mess . " Raven continued to let the tears roll down here face as she tried to reason with Wildcat .

" You had a choice about dating me , just like you had a choice about what you did with Storm . " Harris said .

" Do you think I regret dating you ? " Raven looked up at Harris shocked at what he said .

" I don ' t know do you ? " Harris glanced at her in anger .

" No , Chris I loved you . I loved you with everything I had , but then a demon came and ruined it all . Chris , if none of this had happened I would have still have you . But , that ain ' t the case , Asmodai broke us apart and made you do the most desperate thing you could think of to get rid of the bastard which end everything for us . Every hope we ever had of getting back together was taken away from us . I never had a choice in what happened after we started dating . We both know how it ended and what happened because of Asmodai . I never had a choice in that either . But , for you to stand here and think I didn ' t love you is wrong . That maybe the one thing I did have a choice in is the way I felt for you . Oh , and by the way lets not forget who felled to mention that they had a Demonic Prince in him when we first started dating . This mess could have been over years ago . I don ' t regret dating you , I don ' t regret the way I felt about you and the way I still feel at times when I think about you . You were my first love , the first guy I ever dated and fell in love with , and just like all first loves and break ups . I did my crying , I did my healing and I did my letting go , just like you asked me too , in a letter . But , don ' t think I regret anything that has happened between me and Storm either . I love him , Chris , and I am no longer alone or scared of being alone when I am with him . I ' m sorry , but I can ' t put myself on hold waiting to grow old without you just to die lonely in a cold home without a chance of ever being loved again or to have that family I dreamed about . I don ' t want to be the old hermit that lives by herself . I don ' t want to be the woman who wastes away crying over what she can ' t get back . " Raven began crying harder because she was aching from the conversation with Chris and the emotional toll she was putting herself through to awaken the past events again .

She had buried them deep trying to heal and let go of losing Chris again , but now they were coming back to the surface like a bad dream that went away and remerged to make her hurt again . Maybe those dreams were a few of the ones that she lost to the pygmy worm or the ones she let die down , but they were back now and making her feel worse about hurting Chris .

" Quit crying over nothing . " Harris glared at her .

" Fine go on , go away . I don ' t want to be around you if you are going to be a jerk to me . Oh and by the way do you remember that those words you just said are the same ones that you said when Asmodai did his little deed to me . Quit crying over nothing , it was never nothing Chris and its not nothing now . " Raven said walking back to the camp . She stopped a few ways inbetween the destinations to cry over what just happened . Then she stood up and went to walk back , but lost her footing and slipped into the river .

Chris was sitting in the spot he had been standing after Raven had left when he heard the loud splash . He looked toward the direction and thought for a moment to realize he couldn ' t sense or hear Raven .

" Raven ! " Chris took off running in the direction she had went . When he got there he saw Storm and the others running toward his direction .

" Chris , where is Raven ? " Storm asked .

" I think she slipped into the river . " Chris said trying to open his senses to find her .

" What ? " Amy asked looking at the rushing water . 


	11. Wild Riders

Chapter 10 : Wild Riders

**Little Pigeon River of TN **

Chris opened his eyes after scanning for Raven .

" I can ' t sense her . Where is Sunrise ? " Chris asked .

" What do you mean you can ' t sense her ? " Storm asked fearful .

" Meaning she could be passed out . " Chris said not wanting to state the worst . If he lost her because of his anger and not listening to her , Chris would never forgive himself .

" Sunrise is here Chris . " Aaron said looking in the sky .

" Sunrise , I need your help . " Chris said and the phoenix came to him merging into his spirit . He called his Fallen Armor merged with the Phoenix spirit to him .

" You guys go ahead . I will find her and bring her to you . I promise I won ' t stop looking . " Chris said .

" Chris , find her , I couldn ' t bare to lose her . " Storm looked at him .

" I ' ll find her Storm . " Chris said and took off looking for Raven in the river .

" He ' ll find her Storm . Chris has never let Raven down by his own hands , it was always Asmodai that caused the problems . " Roode looked at his Beer Money partner .

" Yeah , but for some reason I think there are still things they need to work out before Chris goes back to the other side . There are things that they both need to let go of before either of them can move on . Come we need sleep . " Storm said as they walked back to camp .

**River Path**

Chris was racing as fast as he could to keep up with current of the river . He had to find Raven before something worse happened . This was his fault , so , it was up to him to fix the problem . Why did he have to push ? Why did he have to say those things to her ? Why did he get upset at what she and Storm did ? It was their choice now to do what they felt was right between them . Sure he had asked Storm and Raven to look out for each other and they were doing what he had asked them . So , wasn ' t that enough or was he still feeling the pain of the thought that he would never be the one to satisfy her needs . He would never be able to give her that family that she desired or hold her when she need his strength to guide her through the rough years . He would never be the one to sit back and watch her turn grey .

" I ' ll find you . I promise I ' ll find you and make it right . " Chris said as a tear fell from his face . He wasn ' t suppose to let his emotions get the best of him , but being on Earth and walking around with the living was doing that to him .

Chris realized that there was so much that he and Raven needed to work out before they parted one last time until the end or both her and Storm ' s life or until the end of the world .

Harris stopped and sensed the area around him . He used both the Fallen energy and the energy from Sunrise to feel for her . He felt a glimmer of hope close by , but there was another energy source he had never felt . He followed the source to an encampment where he saw the Wild Riders of the Pit . Evil men with no remorse released to do Lucifer ' s bidding , mercenaries with no love for living humans . They brutally tortured their victims until they begged for mercy , but was given none . Then the torture would continue until the fiends got tired of the screaming and made you go through a very painful death .

" Please tell me you are not in there Raven . " Chris whispered to himself . He thought of a way to get through without being seen or heard and remember the cloak and boots he had received from Zacharai . He pulled them out and put the boots on his feet and the cloak around his body , pulling the hood up over his head . No one could see or hear him now .

Chris began walking around the encampment , searching for Raven by following her energy source . He searched for a while before he came to an up right building that was about the size of the Impact Zone . The energy reading from Raven was strongest here .

" Time to go in . " Chris said going to the door and entering the building . He kept quiet and followed the energy source as he heard a terrifying and horrible scream . He knew at once whose scream that was , he had heard it before : Raven .

Chris swallowed to compose himself and followed the screams until he saw a room marked as torture and interrogation room . Then another scream came from inside of the room . He carefully opened the door making sure no one saw him or the door open and went inside .

He had to stop for a moment because right infront of him was the head of the Wild Riders tormenting Raven . His Angel was being tortured by one of the evil , vile men . Her back was ripped and bleeding because of the whip biting into her skin and there was bruises all over her from being used as a punching bag .

" You are almost done my dear . " The leader said to Raven and went to reach for the button on Ravens pants when out of no where a knife was flung at him and pierced his neck . He dropped to the ground dead .

" Who did that ? " One of the other men asked .

" Here . " Chris said as he threw the cloak off . He pulled both katanas out from their sheathes and began a slaughter right there .

He slew the foul men one by one until they were all dead . Then turned to look at Raven . He cleaned off his blades on one of the dead guys shirts and returned them to their sheaths . Then taking the Dagger of the Fallen he stuck it into the keyhole and unlocked the shackles . He caught Raven before she could crumble to the ground and put up the Dagger .

" Raven , " He held her for a few minutes and then picked up the cloak . He then teleported them away from the encampment right to an old hideout he had used when he first came back as the Fallen Warrior . He layed her on a pile of clothes that he had stuck in the hideout for comfortable sitting .

Chris then began looking over her wounds . They weren ' t as bad as they looked , but they were still pretty bad for a human ' s prespective . Most people break when introduced to certain levels of pain and those Riders not having the ability to feel compassion for hurting people could push those boundaries to the breaking point without feeling any remorse or guilt .

" I need to get you cleaned up . " Chris said . He teleported to the closest water source with a container to get water . Then teleported back with the water .

Chris set the water on the fire he had going to heat and moved back to Raven checking all of the wounds again . He looked at the whip marks and bruises . He then looked at her right leg and realized that it was swollen . He pulled the pants leg up to her knee cap and began checking her leg . He felt of the area that was swollen .

" Ow , ah , " Raven cried out .

" Easy Angel , I ' m sorry I didn ' t mean for it to hurt . " He said brushing her long hair out of her eyes . He then went back to her leg and realized it was broke .

" Hmm , I am going have to deal with the marks and bruises , then deal with trying to set a broken leg . " Chris said .

Chris looked at the water that was now heated and pulled it from the fire and closer to them . He took one of the clothes and began washing Raven off .

" Ow , ow , ahh , " Raven didn ' t like the hot water being introduced to the bruises and marks on her body .

" Sshh , its okay Raven . " Chris trying to keep her calm .

He continued to wash her wounds .

" Ow , ahg , " Raven cried out .

" I know it hurts Angel , but you got to let me finish . " He said . Chris then began singing her song to her . She quit trying to fight Chris and let him finish cleaning her off .

Chris then found some medicine cream to put on her wounds and then bandaged them up to keep air from getting to the wounds and causing infection to set in . Once Chris was finished he looked for a shirt in his hideout and found one .

" This might be a little big on you , but at least it will keep you covered . " Chris said helping her slide the shirt on over her head and helped her get her arms in pulling it down to cover her up .

" There my Angel . Now lets focus on the leg . I wish you would wake up and talk to me . " Chris said looking for something to make a splint . He found wood strips and shoelaces , then came back to Raven .

" Okay Raven this may hurt . " He said as he set the wound .

" Ahhhh ! Shit ! " Raven cried out when she felt Chris set her broken leg .

" Easy , lord I needed to record that for Storm to hear . " Chris surprised at the sudden outburst .

" Shut up , Cat . " Raven said opening her eyes .

" If that was all it took to wake you up I would have done it a while back . Hold on and don ' t move your leg . " He said as he stripped the bark from the wood pieces to keep the bark from cutting up her leg . He made sure one side of both wood pieces was flat to sit along the bone of the leg . Finally he used the wood pieces and shoelaces to immobilize her leg .

" There that should do it for now . At least until we can get back to Aaron and he can do a better job at fixing you up . You okay ? " Chris asked her .

" Yeah , but where are those vile men ? " Raven asked looking around as she sat up .

" Gone , they are from the Layers of the Pit , the Wild Riders that patrol the walk ways of Hell . So , I sent them back to where they came from . " Chris said .

" So , there are evil men from Hell walking around up here . Thats not comforting by any means . Do the others know where we are and what happened ? " Raven asked .

" Yes they do . Not all of what happened , but where we are . I sent Sunrise back to them , he helped me find you . Raven , what happened after you left me ? " Chris asked .

" I stopped for a moment to calm myself and when I turned to go back to the others my foot slipped off of the ledge and I fell into the river . I drifted for a while until I came to some of the rocks further down the river and pulled myself up on one to prevent myself from going further down river . Once I had regain my strength I moved back to the bank of the river . Where I fell from the broken leg , I didn ' t realize it was broken before , I guess my adrenaline was up where I wouldn ' t feel the pain . " Raven said looking at her leg now in a splint .

" How did the Riders get you ? " Chris asked .

" I don ' t know . I passed out after reaching the bank from the pain and physical drain . I never felt that much energy pulled from me at once along with the pain . The ring doesn ' t even compare to the strain of trying to get out of a raging river . But , when I came to , I was chained to the ceiling with thoughs creeps watching me and they had a gag around my mouth . They only undid the gag when they tortured me , so , I couldn ' t scream out , call Sunrise , or summon my armor to me . I don ' t remember anymore than that , except for feeling pain every now and then . I guess I passed out from the pain and emotional toll it had on me . " Raven said .

" You ' re alright now . You ' re safe Angel . " Chris looked at her .

" We need to get back to the others , but I ' m not sure if I am going to be able to move right now . My body aches all over and I ' m exhausted . " Raven said looking around again .

" Then sleep , I will watch over you . Nothing will get you with me nearby . " Chris said softly to her .

" I know , but what is this place Cat ? " Raven asked .

" When I first came back as the Fallen Warrior this was one of my hideouts . I stocked the place with what I needed or might need in an emergency situation like this . " Harris said .

" So , I am an emergency situation now ? " Raven asked glaring at him .

" No , that is not what I ment . Do remember that I don ' t need to eat , sleep , or have medical treatment , but you guys do ? I didn ' t want my hideouts empty if we ever had an emergency situation like with your broken leg . " Chris said .

" Yeah sure , " Raven rolled her eyes .

" Why are we fighting right now ? " Chris asked curiously .

" Oh , what you don ' t remember ? Don ' t think I forgot what you said to me . I broke my leg when I fell , but I didn ' t hit my head . " Raven glared at him again .

" Raven , you are very stubborn . " Chris said .

" Good , my stubborness has helped my survive and deattach from certain people . I would prefer if you didn ' t bring it up anymore . Oh , and when did you start having a say in my sex life ? " Raven asked .

" You are my ex . " Chris said .

" Yeah , your ex , meaning we are no longer together . What happened to us to get like this Chris ? " Raven asked looking at the ground after she thought about what she just said . She was to exhausted to fight with the Wildcat and she wasn ' t even sure why she was still fighting with him . She never really liked being in conflict with him while they were dating and she still didn ' t .

" I have no clue . " Chris said softer .

" There were times when we never fought about anything . When we thought the world was funny because of the constant conflict between relationships . Those days when I could rest peacefully in your arms and lock out all of the pain and stress that could harm us . Now it seems all like a fading memory or a dream that you forget about in the morning light . I don ' t want those days to completely fade . I don ' t want those moments to be completely erased . But , I know sooner or later I will have to let go of you and all of the memories we ' ve made together . I don ' t mind letting go of the bad stuff . But , all of the good times , I don ' t want those thoughts to fade away forever to never be thought of again . " Raven said looking at Chris as a small tear fell down her face .

Chris looked at her for a moment . He hated seeing her cry , it always pained him to see his Angel cry , especially when he caused her to cry . Chris got up and came closer to her . He pulled her into his arms and held her . He let her cry herself to sleep in his arms , but he never let her go . His Angel was here in his arms for the moment and he knew she need his strength to get through the days ahead . Just like he need her faith in him to get through those same days .


	12. Harpies

Chapter 11 : Harpies

**Mountain Trails **

The group had been hiking the trails of the Smokies for awhile now with Storm leading them . He was using his Stallion Eyes to see through the mist and fog surrounding and protecting the mountain range and Thunder Mountain .

" Guys there is a clear spot up ahead where we can rest . " Storm said he had been silent ever since Harris went in search of Raven . He was worried , but didn ' t want to show the others that he was worried .

" Okay , sounds good . " Adam said .

" You ' re telling me . The horses could use the rest , too . " Aaron agreed .

" Amy , you okay ? " Beth asked . The others looked at the two .

" Yes , I am just worried about Raven . We have heard anything from Wildcat yet or her . " Amy said sad from not hearing anything on her best friend .

" Chris will find her , he wouldn ' t let her or us down . Nor would he break his promise to us . " Storm said .

" Yeah , then why is it taking so long ? " Adam asked he wasn ' t happy at all that Raven , the one he viewed as a little sister was still missing .

" It ' s a long river , " Storm looked at Adam .

" Quit making excuses for the Cat . " Adam glared at Storm .

" Adam , I don ' t make excuses for anyone , not even Wildcat . He will return Raven to us . I have a connection to both Harris and Raven that no one understands . I can feel everything that is going on . I can feel the emotions you guys are giving off and the negativity , so , stop . Raven , would be pissed if you guys were up here doubting the Cat . Raven , would be pissed if she knew you guys were doubting her . " Storm tried to reason with them .

" If you truely love her and want to marry her then why aren ' t you showing that you are worried ? " Jericho questioned .

" Because , I haven ' t given up on her . Because , I can ' t just go around showing off my emotions like you guys can . It would be a danger to everyone around me , including me . Raven , wouldn ' t want anything to happen to you guys and I am trying my best to keep my emotions incheck . " Storm said .

" Guys , leave Storm alone . He knows what he is doing even if we don ' t . He knows how to feel when those around him are about to give up . I ' ve known him long enough to know that the Cowboy doesn ' t back down or give up on a friend or anything else he believes in . I trust him and so should you . " Roode said getting between Storm and Adam . Then looking at Jericho to show that he ment every word that he said .

" But , I want my best friend . " Amy looked at Storm fighting the tears

" Amy , Wildcat will bring her back to us . " James said easily . He knew that Raven and Amy were close , so , she was taking it harder than the others .

" Lets get to the clearing and rest . " James said again and they followed him to the clearing .

No sooner had they sat down did they see something red coming towards them in the sky .

" Hey , Adam , what is that in the sky ? " Matt asked .

" Its , Sunrise . " Adam said .

The bird finally landed on a tree limb closest to them .

" Sunrise , " Aaron came to him and notice he was carrying a note . He took it off of the phoenix ' s leg and Sunrise flew off back to where he came from .

" He didn ' t stay long . " Jay said .

" Aaron , what does the note say ? " Storm asked .

" It ' s from Harris , it says he found Raven and they are both safe . They are hiding out right now until its safe for both of them to move and when Raven is able to move , preferably before we enter Thunder Mountain . If not go on without them and they would catch up to us . The Wild Riders are back be on the look out and becareful of strangers . P . S . Don ' t travel by road ways anymore for it will make tracking you easier by the enemy . Signed Wildcat , Christopher " Chris " Eric Harris , SAYDL . " Aaron read the note outloud .

" Are we sure its the Wildcat ' s writing ? " Matt asked .

" Matt , " Storm started to say .

" James , I am not doubting the Wildcat would send us a message . But , the note did say be careful of strangers and after seeing the ghost that those goblins conjured up and the thrall . I would not put it past the demons to conjure up a phoenix to look like Sunrise and lie to us by sending a note . " Matt interrupted Storm before he could continue . "

" Let me see the note , Aaron . " Storm said .

" Sure , why ? " Aaron asked .

" Let see , he signed it using his real name and autographed it the way he normally would , including his nickname Wildcat . He also signed in SAYDL , which means Sorry About Your Damn Luck . Only two other people know that I sign my autographs that way : Roode and Harris . This also is his handwriting , Harris sent this knowing that I would see the little details . Plus in the corner of the note on the back he wrote " Guilty " , his own slogan . He sent this note . " Storm confirmed it .

" Okay , fair enough . " Matt said .

" So , I take it Sunrise is going back to them ? " Jay asked .

" Probably to help protect them . " Aaron said looking off in the direction that Sunrise went .

**Cave Hideout **

Chris was fixing some fish when Raven woke up .

" Chris , " Raven looked around .

" Yes , Angel ? " Chris asked . Raven looked to see him at the campfire .

" What are you doing ? " Raven asked .

" Fixing fish for you . " Chris answered .

" Huh ? " Raven looked at him confused .

" You still need to eat . " Chris said to her .

" Right , " Raven said . She looked toward the entrance to the cave as Sunrise flew in from taking the message to Storm and the others . The bird landed on the ground next to her .

" Sunrise , you ' re back . " Raven said looking at her feathered friend . The bird sang his greeting to her . Raven took her hand and stroked the phoenix ' s neck .

" You two are really connecting better . " Chris said .

" Yes , ever since he rebooted my energy back at the Ruins of Northern Canada . I felt like my connection to him strengthened a lot . " Raven said as Sunrise flew off back outside .

" Where ? " Chris asked . The bird had an answer when he came back with a dead mouse .

" Clever bird . " Raven smiled at him .

Sunrise flew and landed on a raised rock in the cave , so , he could eat his kill .

" You need to eat too , Raven . " Chris said .

" Yes , of course . " Raven said . Soon she was full of fish .

" Thanks Chris , " Raven said grateful for the food and medical care he was giving her .

" No problem , Angel . " Chris said .

" So , when can we move ? Or should I let my leg heal more ? " Raven asked looking at her bad leg .

" We need to move at night , so , we will wait til night fall . But , I am not sure if we will catch the others before Storm opens the entrance into Thunder Mountain . " Chris said .

" Right , but . . . " Raven started when Sunrise came to them .

" Sunrise , what are you doing ? " Chris asked . Sunrise looked at Chris then looked at Raven ' s leg .

" Sunrise ? " Raven asked . The bird tilted its head to one side and let a tear fall out of its eyes landing on Raven ' s bad leg .

" What is he doing ? " Chris asked .

" Ah ! Shit ! The tear drop burns . Sunrise what did you do ? " Raven asked grimacing at the burning sensation in her leg . Sunrise began singing .

" Raven , " Chris put a hand on her shoulder .

Soon the burning stopped and Raven had a strange feeling in her leg .

" Chris , remove the splint . " Raven said .

" What ? Why ? Your leg is broke . " Chris said .

" Just do it , " Raven said and he did so . Raven then put a hand on the side of the cave to steady herself .

" Raven , what are you doing ? " Chris asked .

" Here give me your hand . " Raven said .

Chris did so and she stood up on her now healed leg .

" Whoa . " Chris and Raven both said and looked at Sunrise .

" Phoenix tears have healing powers . " Raven quoting what Aaron said when she first received Sunrise as her partner .

" I guess we can move sooner than later . " Chris said .

" Sounds good to me . " Raven said summoning her armor to her .

" Alright lets go then . " Chris doing the same with his Fallen Armor .

They packed up their stuff and left out of the hideout . They made sure no one saw them or followed then made for the Little Pigeon River .

" Sunrise , go ahead of us . " Raven called to the phoenix and he did as he was told .

" We need to watch out for harpies and riders , Raven . " Chris said .

" Got it , " Raven said . They moved as quick as possible .

**Mountain Trail **

The group with Storm was on the move once again after their small break .

" The sun is shining now on this side of the mountain which is going to make it easier to see a trail . " Storm said to them .

" It will also make it easier for something to spot us , so , be cautious . " Aaron said .

" Ditto , oh my god . " Adam said looking behind them and seeing large half - bird , half - human things flying towards them .

" Aaron ? " Jericho asked looking at the things .

" Those are the harpies . Everyone move to those caves . " Aaron said looking at the vile creatures . Everyone took off at top speed on the horses and reached the caves just as one of the harpies came down upon them .

" That was close . " Jay said .

" Yeah , but now what do we do ? " Jeff asked .

" Storm , do you think you can get shots on them ? " Roode asked .

" I might or would my lightning work better Aaron ? " Storm looked at the wolf shaman .

" Probably the rifle . " Aaron said .

" Hey Storm , do you think you can shoot through that hole ? " Matt asked .

Storm looked and saw a flat spot for him to lay down with a hole just big enough for a gun to fit through .

" Perfect , not a bad idea Matt . " Storm said and called the rifle to him . He layed on the spot and took aim at the birds , but before he could take a shot a spear came through the air piercing one of the birds .

" What the hell was that ? " Glen asked .

" No clue , Sunrise is here . " Storm said looking through the scope on the rifle .

Soon the second harpy was shot by another spear right through the heart .

" Both harpies are down , but who shot them ? " Jay asked looking around .

" Over here . " Harris called as he came to them with Raven .

" Chris , " Matt looked at him .

" Raven , " Amy went straight to her and pulled her into a hug .

" Amy , I ' m okay . " Raven said to her best friend .

" I was worried . " Amy said .

" I ' m sorry for making you worry . " Raven pulled back to look at Amy .

" You will do it again , " Adam said .

" Yeah , but at least you half way know what to expect when I make you worry when I am in the ring . " Raven looked at the Rated " R " Superstar .

" Still doesn ' t make me worry any less . " Adam said pulling her in for an embrace .

" Big brother , I will be okay . " Raven said .

" Our friend is safe again . " Jay said .

" Don ' t do that to us again . " Jericho scolded .

" Whoops , " Raven said and pulled the two other blonde Canadians in for hugs .

" Raven , you are worse than my brother worrying us to death . " Matt said .

" I thought I told you to leave the extreme to me . " Jeff said .

" And I thought I told you I just might be more extreme than you are , Jeff . " Raven said to them .

" Will see . " Beth said .

" Sticking to his side are you Beth ? " Raven asked .

" Yes , stand by your man . " Beth said .

" Ain ' t that , uhh , Bobby , can ' t breath . " Raven said as Roode picked her up for a big bear hug .

" Little sis I thought we lost you . " Roode said .

" Kiddo , its good to see you back with us . " Mark said as Roode put her back on her feet .

" Thanks , Mark . Storm , I ' m sorry if I worried you . I ' ll be more cautious my Cowboy . " Raven looked at Storm .

" No you won ' t , I know you . You are reckless and crazy , but I love you for it . I don ' t want you changing one thing that I love about you . I thought I lost you . " Storm said as tears came down his face rain began to fall as well .

" Sshh , its okay Cowboy . I know how you feel . " Raven said hugging him tight to her .

" I know you do . " Storm kissed her .

" Well then , " Roode looked away .

" Hey , I hate to break this up . But , can we get going before more of those things show up ? " Jay asked .

" Wait ! We can ' t , " Raven said .

" Why not ? " Adam asked .

" Because the harpies are not evil . We found out why the harpies are back and acting wierd . Harpies only attack those that are pure evil . We found two more harpies awhile back and found darts in them . The darts were laced with a special poison that causes them to go crazy . When the two woke up after having these things removed and medical treatment , they thanked us and took out some of the Wild Riders trying to hurt us . We can ' t just leave these poor creatures here . I know they tried to harm us , but it wasn ' t their faults . The demons are behind this , they sent the Wild Riders to poison them knowing that they would be a threat if they woke up and they did . " Harris explained .

" So , Leviathan , Asmodai and Molloch lied to us ? " Jericho asked .

" They are demons , deceptive and diabolical , they like to trick people into doing anything they want them , too . They were trying to get us to kill off the harpies in order to get rid of the problems they were having with these creatures . Harpies are warriors and protectors of the innocent like us . They also have young ones they need to care for so that the next harpy generation can provide the same protection for Earth . " Raven explain .

" So , how do we help them ? " Jeff asked .

" I ' ve got it . " Raven said .

She walked over to the first of the big creatures and began examining its wing until Raven found one of the darts . She pulled it out and destroyed it . Then she took the spear and removed it . Raven then pulled one of her gloves off of her hands and focused on her healing heat inside of her soul . Her hand began to get warm and she placed it over the wound of the harpy . Soon the wound was healed completely . She moved to the next harpy and repeated the process .

" That should help them both . You guys might want to step back . " Harris warned and the others didn ' t hesitate to move away from the harpies .

Soon the creatures began to wake up and stretch their wings to get them working properly .

" Harpies , " Raven called and they both looked at her .

" Raven , that might not be a good idea . " Jay said .

" Don ' t worry we do not harm the Shaman Warriors or the Fallen Warrior , nor do we attack the innocent . I am Cypres and this is my brother Damien , we are both warriors from the harpy tribes . Tell us what has happened since we awoken ? We don ' t remember anything , but darkness in our thoughts and severe pain . " Cypres spoke to them .

" You were poisoned into thinking we were the enemy . The Twelve Gates have been opened and demons have begun to walk on the surface spreading their evil ways at the request of Lucifer and the other Demonic Princes . They felt you and your kindred awaken and preceived you as a threat to their plans . So , they invented these poison darts that would turn you against us . The Fallen Warrior and myself met your patriarch who was also under the influence of these darts . The Wild Riders have been going around and setting them into your fellow harpies . We ment you and your brother no harm , but we had to get those darts out of you before you could hurt an innocent . Forgive us might warriors of the sky . " Raven explained to them .

" We have no quarrel with you or your kind shaman and like my brother already said we don ' t hurt the Shamans , the Fallen , or the innocent . No , our battle is with the demons and Demonic Princes . You say you met our patriarch , Marcus ? Was Delilah with him ? " Damien asked .

" Yes she was , " Harris answered .

" Good , then we will join them and plan a course of action against the forces of the Twelve Gates . You have our gratitude and our aid , warriors . May you fight the good fight and the light shine in you for all to see . We shall meet again before the war is over . We name you friends of the harpies . " Cypres said as he rose into the sky .

" May your heart always stay true to the light . Good luck in your journeys and remember the harpies are always watching and guarding the skies above you . " Damien said as he followed his brother .

" They weren ' t so bad . " Jericho said .

" No , they ' re not . We have to be on the look out for more harpies and creatures like them who are being tainted by the demons . We can ' t have our allies and those that are pure of heart turned dark by those of the Pit . " Raven said .

" Agreed . " Aaron said .

" Lets move from this area before the demons or Wild Riders show up . " Harris looked around at the area .

" Right , Storm , lead on . " Mark said .

" Got it , " James said focusing back on his Stallion Eyes to guide them through the fog and mist of the Smoky Mountains .


	13. Thunder Valley

Chapter 12 : Thunder Valley

**Mountain Trail **

The group had been walking up the mountain trail , now guiding the horses up for the fear of them losing their footing on the steep hills . It took more energy out of everyone , including the horses , trying to climb up hill which meant stopping for breaks were more frequent .

" Storm , do you see anything significant up ahead to tell if we are getting closer ? " Roode asked trying to catch his breath .

" Not yet , but it can ' t be to far away . Who am I kidding ? I don ' t know where we are anymore . " Storm said , he knew he was lost and that everyone was exhausted .

" So , we are lost in the mountains . " Jericho said shaking his head .

Raven was looking around at the area for a sign of anything that could tell them where they were at or if they were on the right trail .

" Raven , what are you looking for ? " Amy asked making the others turn to her .

" A sign . " Raven said .

" I don ' t think they put direction signs way up here Raven . " Jay said .

" Not direction signs , Jay . Signs of any type of ruins , like the Ruins of Northern Canada . " Raven put her head in her hands trying to think and stop the pounding .

" You okay , Angel ? " Harris asked . Storm was also watching her very intently .

" Yeah , the air current is just different here than anywhere else we ' ve been on this mountain and I can hear pounding in my head . " Raven said .

" Higher elevation probably . " Adam said

" Wait a minute . " Raven thought about what she said .

" What ? " Aaron asked .

" I don ' t think its the elevation . Can you hear rumbles and pounding ? " Raven asked .

Everyone stood silent at the moment to listen .

" Yes , I can . " Jeff answered .

" Could be Jay ' s stomach again ? " Jericho suggested .

" Agreed . " Adam said .

" Thats not my stomach . " Jay looked at the two .

" Its not coming from Jay , its coming from underneath us . " Matt said .

Raven dropped to the ground and listened to the ground .

" Raven , what are you doing ? " Beth asked intrigued .

" Listening to the ground . Wildcat , is one of the Gates located nearby ? " Adam asked . He was also listening to the ground .

" No , if a Gate was nearby then everything would be completely still and silent except for the screaming of the wicked and screeching of the demons . " Harris said .

" Maybe a cave is up ahead . " Glen said .

" That would make sense . " Jay said .

" Raven , maybe you should send Sunrise to scope out ahead to see if there is a cave ahead of us . " Mark suggested .

" Good idea , but I think it would be better if Razor went . He has better maneuvering around the sharp cliffs of the mountain . " Raven said .

" Right , Razor . " Adam called and the hawk came to him .

" Can you see if there is a cave up ahead ? " Adam asked the bird . He screeched and then flew off to find the cave .

" Lets take a break while he searches . " Storm said .

" Sounds good seeing as we shouldn ' t get anymore lost than what we already are . " Harris agreed .

So , they sat on the rocks and waited for Razor to get back from his search of caves in the area . Storm was looking around the area and listening to the pounding of the ground beneath them .

" I get it . " Storm realized .

" Get what ? " Jay asked .

" Storm , what are you thinking ? " Roode asked .

" That pounding , I know what it is . " Storm said .

" What ? " Jericho asked .

" Thunder . " Storm said .

" Thunder ? " Amy asked confused .

" Yes , this is Thunder Mountain we are going to . " Storm said .

" So , you think that since you are able to manipulate the weather , that the land where your spirit energy rests is manipulated by the weather ? " Raven asked .

" Exactly , " James said .

" Makes since . " Harris said .

" Also would make since why it would echo out here . " Raven agreed as Razor came back to them screeching .

" Razor , is there a cave nearby ? " Adam asked the hawk . He screeched again and flew to one of the crevices in the mountain side .

" Hey , wait up , " Adam called to him .

The group followed Razor to the crevice and looked at it as they came to the gap in the mountain .

" Is it safe ? " Jericho asked .

" Yeah , I don ' t want to end up lunch for a bear or prisoner to something evil . " Jay agreed with Jericho .

" One way to find out . " Harris said stepping through the crevice .

" Wildcat , how is it ? " Matt asked .

" You guys wouldn ' t believe what is in here . " Harris called back to them .

" After all I ' ve seen lately , nothing will surprise me . " Storm said .

" Is it safe for us to come in ? " Roode asked .

" Yeah , come on in . " Harris said .

They walked into the crevice where Harris was looking at the area around them . They stopped when they saw the sight of what was behind the crevice . They were standing at the top of a cliff looking out over a wide valley deep in a cut out gorge . Streams ran down many of the hills , filling up the crystal clear , blue lake that could be seen in the distance and mountains could be seen further back from the lake . The valley had a meadow out to left that was full of wild flowers and with plenty of different animal species that called the valley home . To the right they could see wide open fields with the grass so green to provide for the main animals that lived here .

" Where are we ? " Jeff asked .

" The Valley of Thunder Mountain , this is why the Great Smokies is a National Park that cannot be touched by those unworthy of the land you see before you . This is where the Horse Lords are born and what the Legendary Rider of the South protects . What you see before you are very noble lands that are untainted by the outside world , just like the Wolverine ' s Den . Those peaks over there is Thunder Mountain , but as you can see everything under the mountain is considered part of the mountains ecosystem and is protected by those that follow the ways of the Horse Lords and their Riders . " Aaron said .

" Words doesn ' t do it justice . " James looked around at the land that held his Shaman spirit .

Thunderbolt walked a little further to the edge of the cliff .

" Becareful partner , " Storm looked at the stallion .

Thunderbolt looked at the Cowboy and then back at the valley and mountains infront of him . The stallion reared up and neighed really loud that it echoed off of the gorge carrying through out the valley .

" Thunderbolt , what are you doing ? " Storm asked .

Thunderbolt once again reared up and neighed loud . Then in the distance could be heared another whinny .

" Looks like he knows something we don ' t . " Raven said .

Just as several large horses emerged from the trees . Thunderbolt looked out over the heard as if looking at old friends .

" Wow , thats cool , they came to him when he called . " Jay said .

" They should , he is the Horse Lord and that is his herd . This is the herd he came from after he felt the Gates start to open . The line of Horse Lords that Thunderbolt came from is probably the oldest known Shaman Spirit in existence . Even though Sunrise and Kai are both older than Thunderbolt , Windchaser was the first Shaman spirit to be discovered by the first Shamans . Plus , there is not a species of animal that is more in tuned with nature than the horse . They live off of the land , feed off of the natural vegetation that grows from the ground , and use it as their means to travel . So , when the Gates opened Thunderbolt probably felt it a lot sooner than the other Shaman spirits . But , those horses you see down their are from his own herd . " Aaron explained .

" So , this your family and friends then , Thunderbolt ? " Storm looked at the stallion who nodded his head yes .

" Well , I guess we know our coarse from here . Aaron , how long will it take to reach the other side of the gorge to the mountains ? " Raven asked looking at the peaks that held the Stallion Shaman spirit .

" Not , sure . But , we should be safe in the gorge from the demons or any other evil creature . This Valley is protected and hidden by the fog and mist outside , which prevents those who would destroy this land from seeing the paths that leads here . Without having to worry about anyone fighting us , it should quicken our pace a bit . I know we have to hurry to close the Twelve Gates , but do take the time to look upon the things in the land of the Horse Lords . " Aaron answered .

" Right , lets find away down off of the cliff . " Roode said .

Thunderbolt nickered as if telling them to follow him .

" Storm , what did he say ? " Jay asked .

" Follow him , " Storm said .

Thunderbolt lead them to a wide path leading down to the valley floor . When they reached the bottom the stallion turned and looked at the wall of the cliff from where they came from .

" What are you looking at boy ? " James asked .

He whinnied softly and looked back at the wall of the cliff making them look to where he was looking . They saw a waterfall coming down the mountain filling up a nearby river and to both sides of the waterfall where to large statues of mighty stallions rearing up as if welcoming them to the land of the Horse Lords . Thunderbolt at that moment stood up on his back legs as if to say he had come back home to his land .

" Aaron , who are those statues of ? " Storm asked amazed at the sight of them and Thunderbolt .

" Those are two of the first Horse Lords , to the left is Windchaser and the right statue is of Tempest . Tempest was Windchasers colt , he was lost much earlier than his sire and decendants . Tempest was born during the age of when the Revolutionary War were first moved , his Rider fought on the side of the Patriots instead of the British . Tempest and his Second Rider of the South were called into battle not to long after his only colt was born . They both were know for their belief in freedom and didn ' t see eye to eye with the corrupt ways that some of the Early Roman Catholic was forcing people to go through at the time . They didn ' t believe in Monarch or Dictator rulership either and both the Rider and Tempest lost their lives in the battle . Their bodies are buried here with in the boundries of Thunder Mountain . " Aaron looked up at the statues .

" Are all of the other Riders buried here , Aaron ? " Harris asked .

" No , just the first two , but all of the Horse Lords are buried here . When one of Great Stallions die they get a special ceremony to honor their devotion to the land and their Shaman partners . The last two Riders could have been buried here , but they chose to be buried closer to their families . The First and Second Riders of the South didn ' t have a family they chose to devote themselves totally to their duties of protecting the south and were very close to their partners , so , they both chose to be buried here with their partners . " Aaron said .

" Is there any chance that we might could see the graves ? " Storm asked .

" Yes , if you want we can . " Aaron answered .

" Out of curiosity , why do you want to see their graves , Cowboy ? " Adam asked .

" To pay my respects , Adam . " James said .

" Lets find a place for shelter and then carry on in the morning . Everyone needs rest after the hike up the mountain and down the path into the gorge . " Glen suggested as he looked up at the sun which was now beginning to set .

They found a little clearing close to the river and set up camp . Soon everyone was fed and settle down for the night .

" So , Aaron who are the last two Horse Lords ? You mentioned Windchaser was the first and Tempest was the second , but you have also mentioned that Storm is the Fifth Rider of the South ? So , who are the third and fourth Horse Lords ? " Raven asked .

" The third Horse Lord was called Cyclone . Cyclone was the Horse Lord after the Civil War . His Rider was the first to carry the title of Legendary Rider of the South , even though the ones that came before him are called that as well . But , I don ' t think Rider of the South had quite the same meaning as it did after the Civil War and rebirth of the Southern Lands . I definitely think the South has more of a bond with nature than some of the other regions in the world , because most use the natural world to provide for their families and don ' t usually take more than they need . You also got to remember that the Shamans follow in the ways of God and the South has been known as the Bible belt for the morals and beliefs being based around the law and teachings of Bible . Cyclone and the Third Rider of the South didn ' t really have to deal with big issues like we are having to deal with or any of the other Riders either . They were basically called to rebuild the South after the War between the North and the South . " Aaron said .

" Rebuilding the South may not have been a big deal to you Aaron , but to us Southerners it is a big deal . The South may of had their problems , but we also have a lot of moral values and family values that most wouldn ' t think was very important in todays society . " Storm said .

" I agree with James . But , what about the fourth Horse Lord ? " Raven asked again .

" The fourth Horse Lord was and before I go on any further I want every one to remember that the Shaman Spirit Animals live a lot longer than normal animals . All of your Shaman Spirits will live as long as you do . So , for example as long as Storm is alive , Thunderbolt is alive . " Aaron said .

" So , if I had somehow been killed by the illness back at the Ruins to Northern Canada then Sunrise would have parished as well ? " Raven questioned .

" Exactly , all of your partners are tied to your life force . " Aaron answered .

" Thats would have been nice to know sooner . " Jericho said .

" Sorry , I really did know about it until Zacharai told me back at the Wolverine ' s Den . " Aaron said .

" Okay , so , who was the fourth Horse Lord ? " Harris asked .


	14. The Lost Generation

Chapter 13 : The Lost Generation

**Valley of Thunder Mountain**

" Vortex was the last Horse Lord and like all of the Horse Lords , they were born of a particular line , but Vortex and his rider were originally picked to be the second Rider and Horse Lord . Vortex was actually born before Tempest , and if you guys remember when Salina told us that some of Shamans fell away to worldly gains and weren ' t as united as you guys or even the generation that Windchaser was apart of then you have some idea of why Vortex is thought of as the fourth Horse Lord instead of the Second Horse Lord . The Lost Generation of Shamans as they were called fell to some dark times because instead of acting as a team , they were overly prideful and didn ' t value morals like you guys do . Most of the things they did , if they were not fighting amongst themselves , were immorally correct and sinful . They fell to most of seven deadly sins , pride , lustful , power hungry , greed , and wealth and I know most of us have a mind set that the demons were the causes of their problems . But , that was far from the problem . " Aaron said .

" But , I thought demons influenced certain sin ? " Harris asked .

" They do and they probably had a lot of fun with that generation being overly sinful , but Wildcat as much as you hate Asmodai . He hasn ' t always walked in a human form and he has not always been abroad in a spirirtual form . During the time of Lost Generation , Asmodai was actually deeply imprisoned in a deep abyss that he couldn ' t escape from unless someone set him free and thats what happened . As most of us know the demons were meant to be in Hell for a reason beyond the fact that they are pure evil , they also are meant to deal with those that were evil in life . Several of the demons were called to deal with the Lost Generation ' s wickedness and that is when the Shamans and Elders realized how much evil can taint a place on Earth and how much a generations doing can even taint those that are suppose to protect the innocent . " Aaron answered .

" When did the Lost Generation exist and what demons were put in place to deal with them , Aaron ? " Adam asked .

" The Lost Generation existed during what is now known as the Dark Ages or Middle Ages as some called it . Vortex , was originally born to a Rider that was suppose to be chivalrious , his name was Slater and he was a very wealthy knight . When Slater was a young warrior , still trying to find his place in the world and make his name , he was a valor and honorable man . He opened doors for women , those in his service loved him , he feared God , and did all that was asked of him . But , like Tempest and his Rider , Slater and Vortex saw war and fought in war at young age . It is said in Shamanlore that after one of his victories on the battlefield , he looked at the land where the bloody bodies of his friends and foes lay together after endless combat and felt that he was to blame for what took place . He let guilt and despair cloud his mind and it angered him to the point that he stopped blaming himself and blamed his lord and everyone around him . When he was called to be a Shaman , that darkness was already in his heart and he began keeping to himself instead of following the other Shamans into combat . Eventually , evil consumed his very being and he start turning on everyone he cared for and all of his moral beliefs to become a vigilante . He started seeking justice by his own hands and started killing innocent people in the name of his own crusade . He also began to mistreat his partner , Vortex , because he felt that the Shaman spirit was the point of his anger . Unfortunately , Vortex became doomed to a fate far worse than death and although his body , once it was found , was laid to rest with the Horse Lords . Vortex ' s spirit is still out there and darker than it was when he walked in physical form . " Aaron said .

" So , what demons were used during the Dark Ages ? " Raven repeated Adam ' s question .

" Some demons came later as kind of a punishment for the Lost Generation ' s doing . But , lets see Leviathan , Balan , and Balial had a lot to do with the conflict and wars during that time because of anger , greed , and of Balial being the demon of war . I heard that Asmodai also had a hand in the wars during that time because of his lust for power . Back during the Dark or Middle Ages , land was considered power and the more land you had the more powerful you were and many wars were fought just for land . " Aaron said thinking .

" Makes sense , who else ? " Matt asked .

" Charon , caused a lot of famine and hunger during that time and Berith caused Gluttony from some of the evil tyrants during that time . Leviathan and Thammuz also caused the destruction of one of the most holiest orders during that time that became the bases of our Freemasons that became the forefathers of the USA . " Aaron looked at the others .

" Who ? " Jeff asked .

" Knights Templar , they were put empower after the First Crusade to protect pilgrims from bandits on the road from Europe to Jerusalem . The Knights Templar apparently found wealth and treasure when they were stationed in Solomon ' s Temple when they found Solomon ' s hoard under the Temple , reason they are called Knights Templar . But , they also honored God with a humble heart and even invented the first banking system the world ever saw . One of the last grandmasters made a faulty decision of marching across the Arabian Desert in full army to meet their foes instead of staying put and letting their foes come to them which would have saved on the exhaustion of the Templars . This is also what eventually lead to the downfall of the Templars . The Pope and King at the time were corrupt and some believe a false allegation was made about the Templars practicing heresy which was condemning by the Early Roman Catholic Church . Anyone caught practicing heresy was condemned to death by being burned at the stake and this was also during the time of Spanish Inquisition which proudly deployed harsh torture to question those suspected of heresy or any other wrongdoing at the time . One of the Knights Templar who , anywhere but in the land of the Phoenix Clan should remain nameless , forged Molten . He didn ' t even reach his trial before death . They never found Molten though because he had it sent to a secret location in Scotland which was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church and didn ' t follow such beliefs . But , this particular Knight wouldn ' t leave his brothers behind so he stayed and waited his death trying to figure out away to set his brothers free and let those who were suppose to know where Molten and the rest of the treasures of the Templars went after their downfall . He left clues on the walls of his prison for those after him to see that would take up his call to honor Christ . " Aaron said .

" One of the Knights Templar forged my primary weapon ? " Raven asked .

" Yes , he did . " Aaron answered .

" Any other demons apart of the problem ? " Harris asked .

" Astaroth and Sammael together killed over 50 million people because of the Lost Generation . " Aaron answered .

" How ? " Jay asked shivering at the thought .

" Greatest and most terrible epidemic Europe has ever seen , Bubonic Plague or other wise known as the Black Death . Bubonic plague victims were said to start out with a fever and coughing in the morning , later they would have painful buboes and coughing blood , and by the time of night they were dead . Four out of five people in a household were killed by this thing and with no real way to cure it . Astaroth caused the disease because of his power over pestilence and diseases . But , compared to Sammael , Astaroth barely lifted a finger . The reason it is called Black Death is because of Sammael , Lord of Death , it was kind of like the night of the Passover in Egypt that killed all of the Firstborns of the Egyptians . Sammael ' s death didn ' t start in Asia where the goods being import to Italy where from , the body count started on the ship that brought the goods to port and started from there working its way to thousands . Rich , poor , it didn ' t matter who you were during that time Sammael showed up in the spiritual form of Black Death or Plague and took your life before the night was through . It spread from Italy to Britian and from Spain to parts of Russia . It really didn ' t have quite as much effect in the Scandinavian regions of Europe or colder parts of Russia because of cold killing off the fleas that carried the disease from black rats to humans . Spanish Influenza was about the same way , but didn ' t kill nearly as many people . In today ' s world it would be like taking half of the US citizens and killing them off and it wouldn ' t just be here with our different ways of traveling now as compared to then . " Aaron said .

" Can we stop talking about Black Death ? " Amy said shivering .

" Yeah , but three people even worse than that came . " Aaron said .

" Who ? " Jeff asked .

" Jack the Ripper , Adolf Hitler , and Joseph Stalin . " Aaron said .

" Yeah , those are pretty bad people . " Raven said .

" Even worse knowing that three of the devils forms actually embodied these very people . Well , Jack the Ripper was actually a person , he was a devilish fiend . Lucifer took three of his different forms and put himself in the body of certain people that caused great evil on Earth . But , for a limited amount of time , kind of like Peter denying Christ three times and then Christ asking Peter three times if Peter loved him . So , three evil beings were sent to deal with the evil the Lost Generation caused . Jack the Ripper was Lucifer in Spiritual form and its the reason he wasn ' t ever found , he was a fiend in human form with Lucifer in him . Kind of like Molloch now , Molloch is fiendish demon or fallen angel , but he created a human form to protect himself from the light of the sun . The Ripper was the same way and the reason he only killed five women and not more . Hitler was what some called Satan or False Prophet part of Lucifer , reason why Hitler had such a powerful speaking ability because that is what the False Prophet will have as well . Hitler killed a lot more people than Ripper did , but , we all know how he ended . Stalin was Beelzebub or the predated form of the Antichrist and he killed a lot of people as well and he didn ' t last either . But , now you know what powerful effects evil has on the world as a whole . Reason our unity is a good thing and not a bad thing and so is peace of mind . " Aaron said .

" So , what became of Slater and Vortex ? " Storm asked .

" Slater was one of the ones killed by plague and what became of his body isn ' t known anymore . Sammael came and got his life at the start of the Black Death . Slater ' s soul is said to still walk amongst the world in a not so well known location , because of Sammael cursing him to never rest until for some reason unknown . But , his body was originally found by Tempest and his Rider before the Revolutionary War and was brought back to a special location to keep hidden . But , later some of the Elders felt that if his body remained unclean it would taint the ground where ever he was buried so they decided to seek out his remains again and then cremate them to prevent the spread of evil from his body to the Earth . But , when they got to the spot , his body was gone and no one knows what happened . Some said that Sammael came for the rest of him . " Aaron said .

" And Vortex ? " Harris asked .

" Harris when you were down in the Pit , you didn ' t happen to see a black chariot that Sammael owns did you ? " Aaron asked .

" No , wasn ' t really trying to look for artifacts and monuments down there . " Harris shook his head .

" What black chariot ? " Raven asked .

" Sammael for the time being is said to drive a black chariot when he collects souls of the dead destined for the Pit . Vortex , is the horse tied to that chariot . " Aaron said making everyone look at him .

" What ? Why him ? " Storm asked .

" Remember what I said about evil tainting once good and deceit things , individuals , or animals ? " Aaron asked .

" Yes , why ? " James asked again .

" Vortex was turned evil because of pain caused to him by Slater , reason why Sammael got Slater ' s soul . When Sammael came and collected the first souls after the Black Death started , he saw Vortex as a prize by how evil he had become . Vortex , as sad as it is , became not only Sammael ' s chariot horse . But , also his most important stead and the most important figure in biblical prophecy . Vortex , became the Pale Horse that is mention in the book of Revelation . The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse that is to come , the Fourth Horsemen ' s name is Death , Death is Sammael , Sammael ' s horse is Vortex . Unless by some very powerful means Vortex can be made holy again and it will take a lot of power that none has seen this side of heaven . Vortex was so mistreated that his very heart and soul collapsed after Slater died and overtime in the Pit . The once beautiful , black body of Vortex began to rot and decay because of darkness and ash of the stables he is kept in . Vortex was even forced to give birth to a foe we have seen not to long ago . Vortex is the father of the Thralls and Sammael is the one who created the Corpse Riders for them . " Aaron said .

" That ' s horrible to think that such evil has such a powerful effect on one of the Shaman spirits that is suppose to be protectors of the innocent . " Beth said .

" Yes , it is . Come to think of it Thunderbolt actually is Vortex ' s great nephew . Vortex was Windchaser ' s brother and Thunderbolt ' s great uncle . Tempest was Thunderbolt ' s grandsire , and Cyclone was Thunderbolt ' s sire . So , the Thralls would be his cousins unfortunately . Thunderbolt also looks a lot like Vortex did before decay set into his body . Thunderbolt , is the greatest of the five , he has Vortex ' s body and strength , Cyclone ' s speed and stamina , Windchaser ' s nobility and sense of duty and Tempest ' s freedom and stubborn or to some his independant streak . Windchaser and Tempest were also very peaceful minded which Thunderbolt got and he also got his wisdom from Windchaser and Tempest and his active nature and fighting spirit from Cyclone and Vortex . But , ultimately Thunderbolt also is a great leader to his herd and he got his leadership skills from Windchaser . So , yes , he has inherited the greater points of the other four Horse Lords , but so far I haven ' t seen any of the bad which makes him even stronger as a Shaman spirirt and Horse Lord . " Aaron said looking at Thunderbolt who was looking over at a couple of the wild horses that were in the area .

" You want to go play Thunderbolt ? " Storm asked getting up and walking to the stallion who nuzzled him .

" Is that okay Aaron ? " Storm asked .

" Yeah , let him run around some and get that extra energy out of him . You can take the saddle and bridle off as well , so , they won ' t weigh him down . " Aaron answered .

" Okay , sounds good . " Storm said unhooking the saddle . He removed the saddle , saddle blanket and bridle and turned Thunderbolt a loose with the other horses .

" Go ahead buddy , we ' ll call you when we get ready to leave . " Storm said . Thunderbolt looked at him and then at the other wild horses , then looked back at Storm and then took off in the direction of his buddies .

" He looks happy , " Raven said watching the stallion greet his friends .

" Yes , he does and he looks greater running free without a saddle or reigns to hold him back and weigh him down . " Storm agreed .

" The saddle and reigns for him were actually made here in Thunder Mountain , all of the Horse Lords are made special saddles to provide extra comfort when they wore them . The other four are in the Temple of the Horse Lords . They ' re also more comfortable for the Riders as well . " Aaron informed them .

" Aaron , is it at all possible to save Vortex ? " Raven asked looking at two young colts come to Thunderbolt .

" Anythings possible Raven , but like I said it would take a very powerful force to even attempt to take away Sammael ' s hold over Vortex . " Aaron said .

" I think we already have a very powerful force inside of us that might be able to undo the damage and chains on the stallion . " Raven informed him .

" Really , what ? " Glen asked .

" They same power that released Asmodai ' s hold over Wildcat the first time , the power of love . I have a strange feeling that the reason Vortex became so depressed and the way he is because his Rider mistreated him and he didn ' t experience the love I give to my own horses or Storm does for Thunderbolt . So , I have a feeling that all Vortex needs is for someone to show him to trust people again and know what its like to be loved by someone who won ' t hurt him again . " Raven thought of when she freed Harris the first time .

" I never thought of that , but it might take a lot more love than what Harris felt to undo what has be done to Vortex . Slater was extremely cruel to that horse . " Aaron said .

" Raven , you ' re not thinking about freeing him are you ? " Mark asked .

" Actually , I am . " Raven said .

" Why ? " Harris asked .

" The same reason I freed you from Asmodai , because I know all that happened wasn ' t your fault . I knew that Asmodai was to blame for all of our problems and that you were still deceit and good inside . Same reason we freed the harpies , because we knew they weren ' t really evil and that the demons were poisoning them with darts . The harpies were being used against their free will just like you were when Asmodai infected you . I said it after we free Cypres and Damien that we need to be on the look out and save any other creature that has been turned by evil . We can ' t lose our allies in this fight and just maybe Vortex could be more of an ally than an enemy if we were to change him two . Everything , all living things have the power to change for the worse or the better and maybe he can change for the better as well . " Raven looked at Wildcat .

" Sounds good Raven , but don ' t get your hopes up . It maybe to late to save him even if we try . " Aaron said .

" Its never to late to love or change Aaron . I thought it was to late for Salina and I to reconnect , but I was wrong then and I know somewhere inside of me that you maybe wrong about Vortex . " Raven said .

Storm was watching Thunderbolt play and run around with the young colts almost like they were playing tag .

" I ' m with Raven on this one , Vortex needs to be saved . He shouldn ' t be doomed to be Sammael ' s chariot horse or stead or even trapped down there in the Pit for eternity . " Storm looked back at the others .

" If you guys are going to go along with this , then I am in too . But , lets becareful Sammael is a very powerful demon and Vortex is a very powerful horse , so , we cannot afford to be foolish when attempting to free him . " Harris warned .

" Of course , " Storm and Raven both said .

" So , who are these two colts running around with Thunderbolt , Aaron or do you know ? " Roode asked watching the horses run around and play .

" I don ' t know , but I can tell you they are not his . They could just be apart of his herd , because his mare hadn ' t given birth to any offspring yet . I am actually surprised we haven ' t seen her yet . " Aaron said with that Thunderbolt whinnied really loud as if calling to someone .

" Now , what is he doing ? " Jay asked .

" Calling his mare . " Aaron said as they herd another loud whinny in the distance .

" She ' s here somewhere . " Aaron said listening to the two horses communicate .

Thunderbolt whinnied louder this time and soon a greyish white mare stepped out of the brush . She looked right at Thunderbolt as if glad to see him . Thunderbolt shook his mane as his nickered his affection for her . He walked slowly to her side and nuzzled her neck .

" That ' s Morning Mist , his mare , she ' s a year younger than Thunderbolt and he is very devoted to her . Infact the Thunder Elder said that the only one Thunderbolt ' s ever been shy to was Mist when he first met her . It didn ' t take long after she was year old for him to except her as part of his herd and they became mates not to long after she joined him . " Aaron said .

" I can understand why . " Storm said looking at Raven who smiled at him .

" He is also very attentive and protective over her well being . " Aaron said .

" Yeah , sounds like James with me . " Raven said .

" Right , " Harris and Roode both said .

Just then Thunderbolt came right to Storm .

" What is it boy ? " Storm asked . Thunderbolt pulled on the Cowboy ' s sleeve for Storm to come with him .

" Fine I ' m coming , lead on . " Storm said . Thunderbolt lead Storm to Mist and began looking between the two .

" What is he doing ? " Amy asked .

" I think he is introducing Storm to Mist . " Raven guessed .

" I guess he wants his Rider and mate to know each other . " Aaron said .

" Yeah , but he is acting like a kid all bouncy and hyperactive . " Roode said .

" Kind of like Storm when he gets excited . " Harris added .

" Be nice you two . " Raven said .

" We are . " Harris and Roode said at the same time .

Soon Storm was walking back over to the group .

" What happened ? " Jeff asked .

" He wanted me to know that Mist was his mare and he also wanted Mist to know I am his Rider . " Storm said as Thunderbolt came back to the group snorting and squealing .

" Yes , buddy I know thats your girl and she is very pretty just like my girl is very pretty , too . We both have very beautiful women in our lives , I get you 100 % partner . " James said as Raven looked at the Cowboy smiling .

" Butter ups aren ' t they , Harris ? " Roode asked .

" Yeah , especially Storm . " Harris answered .

Thunderbolt snorted at the two .

" Thunderbolt said for both of you to shut it . " Storm said .

" Right , " Roode and Harris both said back .

Thunderbolt begain squealing again at Storm and ran back to Mist .

" He said he was taking off for the night with his girl and would be back in the morning . " Storm said sitting next to Raven .

" You are getting good at that . " Raven said .

" What ? " Storm asked .

" Communicating with Thunderbolt and understanding him . " Raven answered .

" Yes , I am . " Storm agreed .

" So , what do you guys think about getting sleep now that the horses have taken off to do what ever they do ? " Jay asked .

" Sounds good cause all of us need it and we need to be up early in order to get to Thunder Mountain . Storm , needs to finish his task for him to get the rest of his Shaman powers and gifts . " Aaron said .

" Agreed , " Storm said .

So , everyone soon was settled for the night in their sleeping bags with Cat being lookout again .

" Cat , you are keeping watch again over us ? " Raven asked .

" Yes , always , Angel . " Harris said .

" Lets us know if anything approaches . " Storm said .

" Right , get some sleep you two . " Harris said .

" Night , " Roode called .

" Night , " Raven and Storm both said back .

" Sleep well guys , " Harris said as they drifted to sleep .

Harris smiled at his friends and thought of what Raven wanted to do for Vortex . She was right that love saved him and that they need to turn all those touched by evil outside of their free will back to good , like the harpies . If this was what she wanted to do then he would help her achieve her goal , but how to make it happen was puzzling him . Anyone has the power to change for the worse or the better . He liked that line she used and it fit with the situation they were in . He looked back at Raven snuggled up next to Cowboy and smiled again at the sight , glad they knew the difference between good and evil and that they were doing all it took to protect and help the innocent lives in harms way of the demons or demonic power that could hurt everyone directly and indirectly involved in their task of closing the Twelve Gates .


	15. Faith

_A/N : Sorry for not updating Twelve Gates II sooner , but I had other stories to attend to , but here is the next chapter enjoy and please review . _

_Disclaimer : I do not own any of the WWE or TNA stars . I do own Raven Fireheart , Aaron Riley , the research on shamanism and demons , the story plot and any other OC characters that may appear in this story . _

Chapter 14 : Faith

**Next Morning**

After Thunderbolt came back to the group the next morning , they were off on the trail to Thunder Mountain .

" Its not that far now to Thunder Mountain . " Jay said .

" Nope and we don ' t have to worry about anything hunting us on our way there . " Jericho said .

" This place is very beautiful . " Raven said as she looked around at the sights in the valley .

" Its even more beautiful when I get to see a gorgeous woman in it as well . " Storm said looking at Raven who smiled at him again .

Thunderbolt nickered .

" You agree don ' t you ? " Storm asked the stallion .

The stallion nodded his head .

" Browny points . " Harris and Roode both said .

" Nothin wrong with paying your woman a compliment . " Storm said .

Thunderbolt agreed again .

" Yeah , I know . I give my wife plenty of compliments , but you are still brown nosing , James . " Roode said .

" Sure you do . " Harris said .

" I do , " Roode looked at Harrris .

" So , whats wrong with me paying compliments to Raven ? " Storm asked .

" Nothing , " Harris and Roode answered .

" We ' re just messing with you Storm . " Harris said .

" Boys enough bickering or I ' ll have Mark deal with all three of you . " Raven said .

Storm , Harris , and Roode looked at each other and then at Mark and then at Raven with a scared look .

" Once again , thanks for the parenting job . " Mark said .

" You are the oldest . " Raven said .

" No kidding . " Jericho said getting a look from Mark .

" Jericho , you might want to zip it . " Glen warned .

" I don ' t think he knows how . " Jay said .

" We could say the same thing about you , Jay . " Adam said .

" Agreed . " The Hardys spoke up .

" If Mark doesn ' t want to deal with the parenting then I ' ll do it . " Raven said .

" Ha , ha , yeah right Raven , you better leave that to me girl . " Amy said .

" Why you ? " Adam and Matt asked .

" Because , Raven ' s as bad as the rest of you . " Amy said .

" I bet she gets it from you Ames . " Jeff said .

" Hush Skittles , I am the definition of well behaved . " Amy said .

" Amy , fibbing is a sin . " Raven said .

" I ' m not fibbing . " Amy said .

" You sure ? " Beth asked .

" No , " Raven said .

" So , who gets the parenting job ? " Jay asked .

" Glen , " Mark said .

" Oh no , I ' m not . Aaron , I pass the job to you . " Glen said .

" I agree with Raven . She is the lead so she gets the parenting job . " Aaron said .

" See , I win , pick me a switch ." Raven said .

Storm , Roode , and Harris looked at Raven .

" What ? " Raven looked at them .

" A switch ? " Storm asked .

" I was kidding , besides why do I need a switch when I got you here with a belt . " Raven said .

" Don ' t give it to her . " Harris and Roode said .

" Raven , would you really go through with it ? " Adam asked .

" If they don ' t behave I will deal with it . I also still got a pair of Wildcat ' s handcuffs if they want to fight me whenever the need arises . " Raven said .

" Do you really ? " Harris and Storm asked .

" Yes , I do . " Raven said .

" Why did you give her those ? " Storm asked Wildcat .

" She was playing around with them one day and I told her to keep them . She has the keys , too . " Harris answered .

" Did you actually bring them with you ? " Roode asked .

" Yes , I did . I thought if we ever actually got ahold of one of the Demonic Princes that are still inside the wrestlers , we might need something to hold them . I modified them a bit though to provide our needs . " Raven answered .

" What did you do to them ? " Storm asked

" I carved a demonic seal into them . If anyone of the Princes are actually put in the handcuffs then they won ' t be able to move while in them , and if they just so happen to be able to break them then it will send the demons back to the Pit . " Raven said .

" How did you find a seal like that ? " Harris asked .

" _Ancient Tome of the First Shamans_ , I was looking through the book to find anything that might help us against the Twelve Gates and I found the seal . So , after much consideration and trying to figure out how it would actually work . I remembered having your handcuffs and decided to put the seal on the handcuff . " Raven said .

" When did you do this ? " Aaron asked .

" Back at my house . " Raven said .

" My woman is a genious and has been thinking through this for a good while guys . " Storm said .

" Not bad , but becareful with using seals . You don ' t want them backfiring on us . " Harris said .

" No problem . I ' m just happy your handcuffs still has valuable use to us . " Raven said .

" Wildcat , you save us again without even realizing it . " Storm said .

" I do what I can , Cowboy . " Harris said .

" Guardian Angel . " Raven said .

" I ' ll always watch after you guys . " Harris said .

" So , how exactly does one capture a demon ? " Jay asked .

" Haven ' t figured that one out yet . But , we ' ll think of something and hopefully before another Prince escapes out of the Pit . " Raven answered .

" Luck , is probably how we will catch one of them . " Jericho said .

" Don ' t sound so doubtful Jericho . All we need to do is have a little faith . " Bobby looked at Y2J .

" Good idea , hey look deer . " Amy said pointing at them .

The group stopped and look at the deer , there was a six - point buck and a doe standing under the shade of the trees grazing on the lush , green grass .

" Wow , they look healthier than the deer back at home . " Beth said .

" They are because of the pristine habitat here in Thunder Valley . " Aaron said .

Just then a baby fawn appeared out of thick forest and walked up to the doe . He still had his white spots that pronounced he was a youngester .

" Awe . " Beth and Amy said .

" The doe is a mother . " Raven said smiling at the little deer .

" I can see why this Valley is important and Thunder Mountain . " Storm said looking at the family of deer , especially the little fawn .

Cowboy thought of the innocent life infront of him and then of his little girl at home . What if they failed and the demons win ? What if they couldn ' t do enough to stop the Twelve Gates from opening and Lucifer emerges from his cage ? What if somehow his daughter is hurt by one of these fiends that he is trying so hard to stop ? The main reason he was fighting so hard was because of the innocent ones in the world that would be hurt by the coming threat and one of those innocence is his very own daughter . Storm then felt the stinging of tears in his eyes and knew he was crying .

" James , you okay ? " Raven asked . Harris and Roode were both looking at Storm .

" Yeah , I was just thinking of Makayla . Seeing that little deer made me realize how even more the importance of our mission to stop the Twelve Gates from opening and letting Lucifer out of the Pit . " Storm said wiping the tears from his eyes .

" I hear you , I thought the same thing when I saw Wolborg ' s family back at the Wolverine ' s Temple . I thought of Tracy and my boys , and what it would mean if Lucifer walked among us . Thats the reason why I won ' t give up fighting , no matter what the costs may be or what I might lose in the end . I will go down swinging if I can , my life for the innocence and my family is a better cross to bear than sitting around waiting in a cave for someone else to deal with the problem . " Roode said .

" You won ' t be fighting alone either Bobby , because no matter what brother . I am with you every step of the way . I don ' t care what I have to go through or how many demons it will take to stop me , but I will taken on as many who wants a piece of the Cowboy as I can . " Storm agreed with his Beer Money partner .

" And that is what having faith is all about . " Raven said .

" That is also called sacrifice , you guys are willing enough to fight even at the cost of your own well being . It takes a lot of heart and courage to do that , trust me I know what you are feeling inside , I ' ve felt it before . " Harris said looking at Storm and Roode .

" We ' ll win guys , evil isn ' t as strong as we once thought . Look at what we ' ve seen both in the Wolverine ' s Den and here in Thunder Valley , life finds away to flourish even in remote areas of the world that we didn ' t even no about . That family of deer , the horse herds here in the Valley , Wolborg ' s family in the Den , the Harpies who reside in the mountain side , or even the life in our own homes , evil may damage a few here in there , but in the end love finds away to banish all of the evil in this world . Love finds away to shine light in even the most darkest places in the world . Love is in each one of us , which makes us like lanterns on a path and everytime our love , our lanterns , touches someone who is hurting or touches a dark place where all hope seems lost and faith fades away it lights an unlit lantern to provide a new and lasting light for those who needs and believes in it . " Raven said making the others look at her .

" Raven ' s right , we will win and close the Twelve Gates . " Mark said .

" How much further to the peaks ? " Jericho asked looking at the mountains ahead of them .

" We have to get to the lake first and we should reach it in a few minutes . The Lake of the Horse Lords , is very important to the survival of this region . The waterfalls and the melting snow and ice from the cold Winter provides clean water for the rivers of Great Smokies . The water from those rivers provide life to all that dwell in these mountains from the smallest plant , to the animals , and even the people that live in the region . " Aaron said as they came upon a small clearing .

Raven stopped when she saw the wall to the left with carvings of the Horse Lords .

" Raven , why are you stopping ? " Adam asked .

" The carving over there on the walls of the gorge . " Raven pointed them out .

" Yes , that is the wall that shows the Horse Lords and their Riders riding together as one . Thunderbolt and Storm will one day be put up there , too . " Aaron said .

" Well , James , who ever thought you would be put on a wall mate ? " Roode asked .

" Not me . Jeff , what are you doing back there ? " Storm asked . He caught the sight of the younger Hardy scribbling something down on a piece of paper .

" Writing , Cowboy . " Jeff answered .

" What are you writing ? " Raven asked .

" Our memoirs , " Jeff answered again .

" What ? " Harris , Roode and Aaron asked .

" Oh , yeah , you five weren ' t there when Jeff made his decision . " Jay said .

" What decision ? " Harris asked .

" I have decided to write down our adventures . " Jeff said .

" When did you make that decision ? " Roode asked .

" When you were still trying to complete your task . I figured since my ancestors provided us with historical documents and accounts from the time period to help us . Then why not I do the same in order to help those who come after us with what is happening in our calamity . " Jeff said .

" Not a bad idea . " Aaron said .

" You guys contantly amaze me . " Harris said .

" Thank you . " Jay said .

" So , what is over there with the wall , Aaron ? " Storm asked .

" You want to go and check it out ? " Aaron asked .

" Yes , if its not to much trouble . " Storm said .

" Okay , lets head that way . " Aaron said .

So , the warriors head in the direction of the Horse Lords ' wall .


	16. Wall of the Horse Lords

_Disclaimer : I do not own any of the WWE or TNA stars . I do own Raven Fireheart , Aaron Riley , the research on shamanism and demons , the story plot and any other OC characters that may appear in this story . _

Chapter 15 : Wall of the Horse Lords

When the group had gotten to the Wall that had the Horse Lords on it , they all were amazed at the craftsmenship that was displayed on the wall . The Horse Lords and Riders of the South looked almost real , they were all riding together as one , but they also noticed the statues below the carving of each one of the horses and the riders . Raven was looking particularly at the one of Slater and Vortex the Horse Lord and Rider of the Lost Generation , she had notice the dark cloak on Slater who had the hood of his cloak up over his head . It was creepy to her and so was the statue of Vortex which showed him with chains holding him down .

" Aaron , why does Slater and Vortex ' s statues look like they do ? " Raven asked confused as to the reason they were made the way they look .

" Because of them falling into darkness , Vortex ' s statue is said to change if he is ever broken free of Sammael ' s hold on him . But , so far nothing has happened to the statue , so , I guess he is still under the strong , evil influence over him . " Aaron said .

" He will be broke free of those chains one day if I have to make it my mission to save him . " Raven vowed .

" Be careful with making vows like that , Raven , darkness and evil is the hardest thing to break free of and so is the hold that Sammael has on ones soul , even one as deceit as Vortex ' s once was . " Mark said .

" Tell that to Wildcat who had Asmodai in him or the harpies with the darts or me with my depression . Evil always has a weakness and I will make sure that before the Gates are closed I will free Vortex , even if that means I have to fight Sammael for his freedom . " Raven looked at Mark .

" Raven , I told you that none of you , but me is tangling with Sammael and I mean it Angel . He could kill any of you on the spot with his powers . " Harris said .

" Why , do you guys keep questioning my resolve ? I have my reason for wanting to save Vortex and none of you need to question it or me fighting Sammael . I am no longer afraid to fight any demon or Fallen Angel . " Raven looked at them .

" I agree with Raven , we need to save Vortex , it may lessen Sammael ' s strength if we were somehow able to remove the Demon of Death from his chariot and steed . " James said .

" I agree , too . " Glen and Jeff both said .

" So , how about we make camp tonight around the wall and then carry on tomorrow morning because the path is there . " Aaron pointed behind them .

" Sounds good to me . " Raven agreed .

So , they all got the camp set up and Storm let Thunderbolt go with his heard again .

" Thunderbolt is loving being back with his herd . " Storm smiled as he watched him play with a couple of the young colts from the herd .

" Yes , he is and I like being around a safe place for now . " Raven said .

" And you jump off of turnbuckles and top ropes ? " Amy asked .

" Fighting demons and evil creatures is a lot different and a lot more dangerous than doing high risk moves in a wrestling ring , Amy . " Raven looked at her .

" You seem angry . " Adam said .

" I ' m not angry , just more determined and focused on what we need to do . Time is growing short for us to deal with this problem and the next Demonic Prince could be out of the Twelve Gates soon . " Raven looked at her Guardian Saber and wondered what powers it actually contained .

" If the next Gate opens the whole world will be in worse trouble than with the others . " Harris said .

" How so ? I thought all demons where a threat to the world ? " Jay asked .

" They are and that is the reason we are stopping them , but some of the Demonic Princes ' natural given powers can only work at a certain distance . " Harris answered .

" But , then why is sin such a powerful force and why are we affect by some of the sins that the demons represent ? " Jericho asked .

" Because we as a whole as humans are sinful natured , even without the Twelve Gates opening and demons walking on the surface we are still tempted by sin and that won ' t go away until you die or the end of time which ever comes first . " Raven said .

" So , are all the Demonic Princes powers , that we have encounter so far , only affected at a certain distances ? " Roode asked .

" Lilith ' s powers are , but her powers of Witchcraft is up to the sinner , if you don ' t fall into Witchcraft then you won ' t sin at all . " Harris said .

" Explain that please ? " Jericho asked confused .

" Its like a gun , a gun in the hands of someone just shooting at a target isn ' t a lethal weapon or harmful , but you put it in the hands of the wrong person it can become a murder weapn . The gun itself isn ' t to blame , but the shooter who used the gun . " Harris said .

" Makes sense . " Jericho said .

" So , you are saying as long as no one falls into using Witchcraft then no one will be sinfully affected by it ? " Storm asked .

" Yes , exactly . " Harris looked at Storm .

" So , what about the others ? " Amy asked .

" Asmodai and Leviathan ' s powers only work at a distance , because once again the use of Lust and Wrath is up to the individual , but both powers are easy to fall into with human emotions and not thinking . Sometimes its hard to tell the difference in just being angry at something and wanting vengence on someone because they wronged you . Lust also is hard to spot because some people can ' t tell the difference between love and lust . " Harris said .

" Evil can ' t love and some people mistake lust for power as greed which it could be , but lust for power is apart of the sin of Lust . " Raven said .

" Right , greed for power always makes you want more power . Lust for power means that power feels good to you and you want to feel more so you lust for power until it consumes you and you do something stupid to get power . " Harris added .

" Can Lust for power and Greed for power happen at the same time ? " Adam asked .

" It can , you can be come so lustful for power that you start getting greedy for more power or you can be so greedy for power that it feels good so you lust for more power . " Aaron answered .

" So , what about Molloch ? Sometimes we can feel his influence from his depression , but I always thought laziness came from the individual ? " Raven asked .

" You are right about that , but to some extent depression is also up to the certain individual . People can get sad , but never fall into depression . When you are just watching a sad movie you can get sad without getting depressed , so , it also in away only works at a certain range . " Harris said .

" I get it , " Raven looked at Thunderbolt still running around with the colts .

" Raven , gets really sad with sad movies . " Amy said .

" Isn ' t that the point of sad movies ? " Raven said .

" Yes , but when you watch a sad movie , you don ' t know how to stop crying , Angel . " Harris smiled .

" Shut up , Wildcat , just because you never liked watching sad movies around me doesn ' t mean I don ' t like watching sad movies . " Raven said .

" Yeah , but even in a none sad movie if a sad part comes up you still cry . " Adam laughed .

" Nothing wrong with being sensitive , right James ? " Raven looked at the Cowboy .

" Yes , of course baby , there is nothing wrong with being sensitive and I love you for being so sensitive . " James said making Raven giggle .

" You never cry during a sensitive moment . " Roode said .

" Yes , he does . Have you not notice when he makes it rain or is it only me who can feel it ? " Raven asked .

" I am beginning to think it is only you who can actually feel what Storm is feeling through whatever weather phenomena he creates when his emotions are up . " Aaron said .

" So , Raven and I have a connection through my Shaman powers ? " James asked .

" Seems like it . " Aaron said .

" So , is that a gift that Raven has through her Shaman gifts or is it something else , Aaron ? " Harris asked .

" It could be both , there could be something in Raven ' s Phoenix powers that gives her the ability to feel what Storm is feeling . But , for some reason I think it is the connection Storm and Raven has for each other , love is a power on its own as Raven has already made clear to us and that could help Raven feel what Storm is feeling . " Aaron said .

" Love is a powerful gift when you are able to use it . " Raven said .

" True that , " Harris and Storm both said .

" So , how about I would love to get some sleep before dawn . " Matt said

" Sounds good " Jeff yawned .

" We don ' t need a watch here Harris , because this part of Thunder Valley is protected by the Thunder energy with in the mountains . " Aaron said .

" Okay , " Harris said .

Soon everyone had settle down , even Wildcat was sleeping tonight since he didn ' t have to watch out for his friends safety .

" Harris , you are actually sleeping tonight ? " Bobby asked .

" Yes , since I don ' t have to keep a look out . " Harris said , he was on the other side of Raven .

Raven was snuggled up next to Storm , but also happy her Guardian Angel was next to her .

" You seem calm right now , darlin ? " James asked Raven .

" I have been since we got here in Thunder Valley . " Raven said as Wildcat yawned and turned over snuggling next up with Raven and James .

" Good Wildcat , " Raven said scratching his head .

" I forgot he was a cuddler . " James said .

" Shut up , Storm . " Wildcat said .

" Be nice you two . " Raven said .

" Yes Raven , " James and Chris said .

" Good night guys . " Roode said .

" Night , Bobby , " Storm , Harris and Raven said .

Soon everyone was asleep under the safety of the Wall of the Horse Lords .

_A/N : So , Raven is the only one who can feel Storm ' s emotions that is interesting . _


	17. Crossing Lightning

_Disclaimer : I do not own any of the WWE or TNA stars . I do own Raven Fireheart , Aaron Riley , the research on shamanism and demons , the story plot and any other OC characters that may appear in this story . _

Chapter 16 : Crossing Lightning

**Next Morning **

The next morning the group started heading up the pathway into the heart of the mountain , it was made from rain water naturally carving the path out of the stong that made up the Thunder Mountains .

" My ears just popped " Jay said holding his ears .

" Here , try chewing gum , its suppose to keep your ears from popping . " Glen handed Jay some gum .

" Thank you , Glen . " Jay said taking the chew gum appreciatively .

" No problem , " Glen said .

" We must be going to very high altitudes if Jay ' s ears are starting to pop . " Raven said .

" So , the mountains are very high up and we are climbing them on this path , sounds like fun to me . " Bobby said .

" You are starting to sound like Jeff . " Matt said .

" High altitudes is my thing . " Jeff agreed with his brother .

" True that , " Adam and Jericho laughed .

They continued on the path until they came to a large opened room , but what they saw in front of them was unbelievable . Lightning was coming down in the mountain from some unknown magic and it was a spectacular display of streaks of lightning appearing in the sky and every now and then the lightning would strike the ground and side of the mountains making thunder sound in the room which echoed through out part of the Smoky Mountains .

" Wow , that is incredible . " Raven said .

" What is this Aaron ? " Storm asked .

" This is the entrance into Thunder Mountain and the way to your task . Thunder Mountain got its name from the sound of the lightning hitting the walls and ground in here . " Aaron said .

" That is going to be a bitch to cross . " Roode said looking at the lightning .

" I can ' t teleport all of you at once either . " Harris said looking at the lightning .

" Well we have come this far without backing down and giving up . We figured out every riddle and problem so far , so , we will figure out this one , too . But , I forbid anyone from going any further until we know what we are dealing with . " Raven said and the others looked at her like why would they even think about crossing with the unpredictable lightning display .

" No problem , " Jericho said .

The group stopped and sat on the ground outside of the room so no one would get zapped . They thought and thought , but nothing came to them .

" Storm , what does it say in the book Salina gave you ? " Harris asked .

" Good question , " Storm said getting out the book and going through it .

" Aaron hand me the _Ancient Tome of the First Shamans _, " Raven said while also getting out Salina ' s diary .

" Sure , " Aaron handed her the book .

Storm and Raven sat and went through the books to find some answer to this new mystery to their quests .

" Hey , guys why are there twelve stones sticking up out of the ground in the center of the big room ? " Adam had been looking at them for awhile and was now very confused .

" Good , question . " Jay said .

" Reason , I asked . " Adam said .

" Boys quit bickering . " Raven said .

" Yes , Raven . " Adam and Jay both said .

" I wonder if Storm could cross this lightning ? " Roode question .

" What makes you think that Bobby ? " Storm asked .

" Because , I was the only one allowed to go into the Guard Tower in Canada to allow us entrance into the Wolverine ' s Den . So , maybe Storm is the only one who can gain us entrance into the Thunder Mountains and maybe those stones are the keys . " Roode said .

" Bobby , may have a point . James see if you can find a mentioning of stones in that book . " Harris said .

" Found it , it says that the stone ' s are the key to both stopping the lightning temporarily and opening the passage to Thunder Mountain . It also align the stones with spiritual animals to their geographical location on earth . But , how do I get to the stones ? " James looks at the stones in the center of the room after putting the book up .

Storm knew if he made the wrong move he would be fried and he didn ' t want that to happen to him .

" You can do it Storm , try using the lightning in you to calm the lightning in the atmosphere . " Raven believed in him .

" Thanks for the vote of confidence , here hold on to the pendant Salina gave me to nullify my powers . " Cowboy said handing it to Raven .

" And give me , your hat Cowboy . " Harris said .

" Why ? " Storm looked at him .

" Because those Metal spikes will turn you into a lightning rod . " Harris said .

" True and I will give you the rest of the metal I have . " Storm takes all of the metal on his body and hands them to Harris .

" You are good now Storm . " Raven said .

" Time to cross . " Storm focused on the lightning with in him and tried to calm what was around him .

He took a breath and mad his first step into the lightning and surprisingly it didn ' t come in contact with him .

" Wow , " Raven , Roode , and Harris said .

" That was shocking . " Storm said .

" Funny , " Roode said .

Storm continued on to the stones , finally making it to them .

" Now to figure out the aligning the stones to the spiritual animals geographical locations . " Storm said .

_A/N : Amazing ability of Storm ' s , but now it is time to open the passage to Thunder Mountain . _


	18. Geographical Stones

_Disclaimer : I do not own any of the WWE or TNA stars . I do own Raven Fireheart , Aaron Riley , the research on shamanism and demons , the story plot and any other OC characters that may appear in this story . _

Chapter 17 : Geographical Stones

Storm was now standing in front of the geographical stones in the center of the room that would open the passage into the Land of the Legendary Rider of the South and the Land of Thunder . He looked at them as he circled them , the lightning coming down all around him .

" James ? " Roode asked .

" Give me a minute to think about this , " James said .

" I have an idea how it works . " Harris said .

" But , we can ' t help him . This was meant for Storm , he must figure out how to gain us entry into the Land of Thunder . " Aaron said .

" Just like Bobby had to gain us entry in the Wolverine ' s Den . " Raven added .

Storm began looking around on the ground and everything until he saw a small tablet and a raised surface . He searched and examined it for awhile and when he read the tablet it made sense to him now , every animal belongs to habitat and that habitat is in a geographical location on Earth . So , in order for him to open the passageway he must put the spiritual animals in their habitat in the right geographical spot on a map with the Stallion his spirit animal going last , but where was the map .

James ran his hand around the raised surface until he came to a small lever on the side of the stone , he pulled the lever and the lightning began to form a map in the room and light began to shine from the statues as animal symbols appeared . From the back of the stones a stream of light shot out in a straight line .

" Wow , " Adam said .

" Your telling me " Jericho and Jay both said .

Storm looked at the map of the whole world and then looked at the shining stones that had the animals on it and that was when he realized he must point the lights on the back to the geographical location on the map so the animals would be in their right habitats on Earth .

" Okay now to just figure out how to turn them . " James thought to himself .

" The magic of the shamans and the old ways is incredible . " Raven said .

" I agree . " Beth said .

" Me , too . " The Hardy brothers both said at the same time .

Storm then saw a handle on the stones that twisted and he realized that if he twisted the handles the stones would move in the direction he turned the handle . He looked at the animals carefully and figured out which was which .

James looked at the map and looked first at the closest animal to him which was the Black Jaguar , regular Jaguars he new was from South and Central America . So , he took hold of the handle on the Jaguar stone and turned it until the light was hitting the the region where South and Central America touched .

" There ' s the first , " James aid .

The Cowboy , then looked at one of the other stones , it had the fox on it . Fox ' s are from several different locations , but he new that grey foxes where the closest to the silver fox and they were in the southern region of North America . So , he moved that animal to the right location .

Storm continued moving the stones , the Bengal Tiger in India , Wolverine in Northern Canada , Hawk in the rocky deserts of Mexico and America , Crow in northern parts of Europe and America , Dragon between the Earth ' s surface , Phoenix from the fiery volcanos , Dingo from Australia , Wolf from Northern Part of Amercia , Pegasus from the sky fortress , and then he looked at his own animal the Stallion and placed it in the Western part of the USA .

James then stepped back from the stones as they began to glow together . Then light shot out everywhere and where the map was the Shaman spirits stood together united as one team .

" Whoa , " Raven said .

" That is the team . " Aaron said .

Then a light shot out from the stones and the animals in the sky and shined against the wall opening the passageway into the Land of Thunder .

" Well lets go in . " Storm said and they all went through the passage bringing the horses with them to the Land of the Legendary Rider of the South .

_A/N : Sorry for the short chapter , but it wasn ' t meant to be long . I like the image of the Shaman Animals standing in unity at the end of Storm ' s task . Please Read and Review . _


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